Model Love Affair
by MoonlitStares-03
Summary: Bella Swan: a model. she meets the handsome Edward Cullen at a photoshoot where things steamy with an unexpected kiss, little does she know that she'll have to work with him months later. get ready for more: this is the fashion world! EVERSO's sum
1. Not READY

1.

"Taxi..!" Bella Swan signaled a yellow New York cab to pull over where she stood—just in front of Starbucks Coffee. She briefly grabbed a mocha frap to quench her thirst for she had to hurry over to somewhere and had no time to stuff her face.

She was clad in a white collared blouse—half-buttoned to reveal a black tank underneath—which had a chunky belt wrapped around it to show off her form in the baggy top, ultra-skinny black pants, and platforms. A black-framed Ray-Ban was perched neatly on her wavy brown hair, ready to shield her from unexpected sunlight.

Soon enough, a cab approached her. She smiled sweetly at the driver—the smile she reserves for her job—and stepped inside. "Maxi Studio, please" she told the guy. The cab revved up and joined the other cars on the road.

Bella took a sip of her drink and then felt for her cell from her enormous black hobo bag. She pulled out her Treo, punched numbers on the keypads, and pressed it to her ear. She waited for someone to pick up.

After three rings, someone answered. "Bella where are you?" Bella called her best friend and makeup artist Alice McCarty. "Papa Maxi informed everyone that the photographer will arrive in ten minutes."

"Tell Papa Maxi I'll be there in no time" Bella assured Alice. Then she peered out the window of the cab. "I'm only three blocks away now."

"Well, hurry up!" Alice said before hanging up. Bella stuffed her phone back into her bag and continued sipping her frap. She needed the caffeine—bad.

A few minutes—five, to be exact—later, the cab pulled over in front of a huge glass building. There was a gold plaque in front of it that said: maxi modeling studio. Bella paid the cab driver and stepped out. She eyed a metal trash can and threw her empty plastic into it before entering the glass doors. She was greeted by Tony, the forty-year-old doorman, warmly—like always. "Good morning to you too" she replied with a grin and approached where the elevators were. She pressed the button with the upward arrow and waited for the elevator to open. Her foot couldn't help but tap noisily on the smooth granite floor.

Finally, the elevator opened. She stepped inside and pressed the number 12. She was then surrounded by a calming music. Elevator music, she thought. When she got to the eighth floor, the elevator opened. A woman she knew stepped inside—looking intently at herself in her compact. The woman's name was Jessica Stanley—a friend of hers in high school. Jessica looked up from her compact mirror and practically screamed at the sight of Bella. "Oh, my God! Bella Swan!" she squealed, giving her a hug.

"I didn't know you work here" Bella commented, striking a conversation.

"I just started this morning" Jessica grinned. "I'm the new marketing associate of Maxi Studio"

Bella smiled. "Congratulations" she said.

"Thanks!" her high school friend screamed. "Although _I_ should be congratulating _you_"

She arched a brow. "And why is that?"

"Your modeling career's blooming isn't it?" Jessica said. "That's big, Bella"

Bella couldn't help but laugh. "I guess." then she looked up to see what floor they were on now. It was already the twelfth. She clapped a hand on her friend and said when the elevator opened, "oh. This is me."

"See you around, B" Jessica chimed in before the elevator closed.

Bella turned around and made her way through the wide hallway. The walls were decorated with framed photographs of top models of the modeling studio. But Bella already admired them to the fullest when she first got here, so she didn't bother looking at them. She stopped in front a red door and pushed it open. She was met by the sounds of moving and fixing of equipment—and the screaming of her friend. "Bella, finally..!"

Before she could greet her best friend good morning, Alice grabbed her by the wrist and dragged her inside a dressing room. Bella put down her bag on one of the chairs and settled on the couch. Alice stood in front of her with her hands to her hips.

"And what do you think you're doing?" Alice questioned. She made a movement of 'shooing.' "Get dressed already! You're outfit is inside the bathroom"

Bella wordlessly obeyed and went inside the bland white bathroom. She took off her own clothes and slipped on the outfit she was supposed to wear for the photo shoot.

Although she wasn't sure if she could call it an 'outfit'—not when it looked like just a tiny strip of fabric. But she knew that in modeling: complaining is a no-no.

It turned out that what she was going to wear was a man's oversized button-down. It was cream in color. And she noticed that the top portion of it lacked buttons. Bella mentally groaned. She looked at herself in the oversized mirror and realized her brassiere was showing. "Alice" she called out.

"What is it?" her friend called back.

"No under-top?" Bella asked. It meant, in their bestie language, no bra.

"Yup" Alice replied. Bella sighed and undid the clasp. She folded it up and stuffed it under her pile of clothes. She didn't want something so privy exposed.

Finally, she stepped out of the bathroom. Alice looked up from her magazine and stood up. She was going to do her job now: put makeup on Bella.

"Papa Maxi said messy hair, smoky eyes, and pale lips" Alice informed her best friend as she started with the eyes. Papa Maxi is, obviously, the owner of the modeling studio. People close to him call him Papa Maxi… and the ones who are not-so-close call him Max Gerard.

"That's nice" Bella said. Alice was a fast worker. In a few minutes, she was already done with her magic… just in time because they both heard someone say that the photographer had arrived.

They both exited the dressing room to find Papa Maxi talking to the photographer Carl Matthews. Papa Maxi saw the two girls approach and then he grinned, looking like a proud daddy. "Ah, here's my pretty little model"

Bella smiled. She politely shook hands with the photographer and then brought her attention back to her boss. "Shall we start?" Papa Maxi asked.

"Yes," Bella said. Alice patted her back encouragingly and walked with the photographer to their places—behind the camera.

Bella settled herself in front of the camera and waited for directions. "Lie down on the bed, please. On your side" said the photographer. Bella nodded and lied down on her side on the white bed strewn with a messy white blanket. "Now lower your top on one side—show a little cleavage—as if you just got out of bed… in a sexy way"

Bella did what she was told. The photographer's eyes disappeared from behind the lens of his camera. "Now look seductive. Invite the people who will look at you." Bella did a pout and poised her hand through her dark mane of hair. She held this position in place until the photographer finished taking pictures. "Good, Bella" the photographer said. "Now do a kneeling position—show off you legs." Again, she obeyed.

A few minutes later, she was done with the bed setting. "That was fantastic, Bella" Alice commented. "You were so seductive. I bet guys will drool over you more when they see those pictures"

Bella let out a laugh. "Thanks, Alice."

They both reentered the dressing room. Bella was told to change into a new outfit for a different setting. She was told that she was going to be doing the next shoot with a famous male model. She didn't know who it was—and so did Alice. "Who do you think it is?" Alice wondered as Bella slipped on a black dress. It was very short—three inches above her knees—with a _very_ low v-neckline. Again, it showed too much cleavage that she was comfortable with. Alice fixed her hair into a messy bun. Her makeup didn't change. When Alice was done with her, they both got out of the dressing room and approached the photo shoot again. And just out of the corner of her eye, she saw a tall figure talking to Papa Maxi. He was facing his back to her—making her only decipher that the guy had messy bronze hair. That was all.

"Papa Maxi, Bella's all done!" Alice chimed, making their boss—and the guy—turn around. Bella fought the urge to gape. The guy was terribly good-looking—super hot. He had green eyes and an irresistible crooked grin. She looked down slightly to realize that the guy was wearing nothing but a pair of black jeans—showing off a very pronounced six-pack.

"Let's start, then" Papa Maxi grinned, oblivious to Bella's hyperventilating. He turned to the male model and said, "Edward, please take care of my Bella"

'Edward' grinned at Bella playfully and said, in an equally irresistible voice, "I will." Then he approached her with confidence, reaching out his hand to her. "Shall we?"

Bella forced a smile—hoping it was as confident as Edward's. "Lead the way." The moment they touched, she felt electrified. She let him drag her to the shooting—which was changed from a bed setting to sofa theme—and silently wished she could pull this off without embarrassing herself in front of a total Greek god.

"Edward, let Bella sit on your lap now" the photographer ordered, gesturing the two with his free hand—the one he wasn't using to hold his camera. Edward, still holding onto Bella's hand, dragged her down to his lap when he settled comfortably on the couch. His legs were stretched wide—a casual stance, Bella noted to herself. "Good. Now Bella, wound your arm around his neck. Pull yourself closer to him." Bella nodded and did what she was told. She suddenly felt self-conscious when she realized her boobs were nearly touching Edward's face. She heard him chuckle.

"This is a good start isn't it?" he teased in a whisper. Bella blushed.

"Edward, put a hand on her thigh" the photographer continued to direct, oblivious of the tempting tension between the models. Edward slowly slid a hand on Bella's thigh, sending a tingle through Bella's body. "Good" then the photographer began clicking away.

After five shots or so, the photographer's face emerged from behind the camera. He rubbed a hand behind his neck and said, slowly, "okay. This is the part for the intimacy to come in"

Bella didn't like the sound of that. Edward didn't show any reaction. Behind the photographer, Bella saw Alice giggling silently to herself.

"Your position stays the same, but," the photographer paused—probably for a dramatic effect. "You guys have to smooch. Okay with that?"

"I'm fine with that" Edward suddenly said. Bella jerked her head down to look at him, her eyes incredulous.

"You are?" Bella couldn't hide the sarcasm. She practically grew up sounding like that. Edward looked up at her and flashed a crooked grin.

"I don't find anything wrong about kissing you," he said, teasing. "—Even though we just met and all"

"Positions please" the photographer said. Bella wanted to protest. She didn't want to kiss someone she only knew for a few minutes. No way.

"I'm not ready yet" she suddenly blurted out, earning her incredulous looks from her boss, the photographer, the staff, Edward, and Alice. She bit her lip right after the words tumbled out her mouth. "I mean, I need to prep up."

"Kissing doesn't need prepping up, Bella" Papa Maxi said, a grin on his face. There was a glint of sympathy for her. "I know you're nervous but this is the next step to your career"

Bella let out an almost inaudible groan. Edward unfortunately heard that. "Just do it with me, Bella. No harm with one peck."

_Easy for him to say_, she thought. _He's not the one who's never been kissed_.

"Let's try" the photographer urged. He disappeared once more behind his camera. Bella reluctantly looked down at Edward, his green eyes melting her. Slowly, she leaned down. Edward tilted his chin up so their mouths could meet.

And when they did, it was almost as if a sudden spark exploded inside Bella's body. She could hear the snapping of photos in background, but all her brain could concentrate on was the kiss she was now experiencing. Edward's lips suddenly began to move gently—then not so gently. It became urgent and full of desire. This was not a screen kiss anymore—it was the real thing. Inside her head, Bella was panicking. _Oh, my God! He's really kissing me._

"Good" the photographer said. "More passion now"

_Was he kidding?!_

Bella wanted to react. But she couldn't find the nerve to break the connection between hers and Edward's lips. She was trapped.

Then, unexpectedly, Edward licked her bottom lip with his tongue. Oh, Bella was panicking NOW!

She wanted it to stop. _Stop the madness!_ She screeched in her head. _Stop, stop, STOP!_

"That looks so hot, Bella!" Alice giggled. Bella ignored her best friend.

Finally, she had the strength to pull away. She put both her hands onto Edward's chest and pushed, breaking the contact between her lips and his. She blinked her eyes open and realized her vision got blurred from closing her eyes too hard.

Edward looked stunned too. "That was—weird" he said. Then he flashed a grin. "Didn't know you were capable of that"

Bella scowled down at him. "Pig" she snarled in a whisper before jostling him so she could get away from his touch.

0*0*0

**Here's a sneak preview of chapter two:**

_Bella scowled at the picture taunting her. She wanted to tear every copy of it and burn it into ashes. She returned the magazine back into its display and prepared to turn away when a manly hand made a grab for it. In cheetah-speed, Bella snatched it away from the guy. "You can't see it" she said._

"_Not even if it's me in there?" a familiar voice said, teasing. "I heard that people drooled over it. We make a great team, eh?"_

_Reluctantly, Bella looked up. Edward Cullen was grinning down at her, his eyes boring into hers again._

"_We meet again" he said, his voice as every bit as irresistible as Bella remembered it had been_…

**A ****review**** would be much appreciated, people.**

**Thank you.**

**=]**


	2. Not READY Edward POV

**This is, due to _my-bronze-haired-angel_'s suggestion I'd do it, Edward's POV about the photo shoot thing. Enjoy!**

Extra

_Ring! Ring!_

Edward Cullen let out a groan as he felt for his cell on the table beside his bed. He still felt awful after the party he went to last night. He completely drank too much. Fortunately, his best friend Emmett was there to catch him. The guy NEVER gets drunk—even though he drinks harder than Edward. The lucky guy

Edward finally felt the sleek metal of his iPhone and grabbed it. He managed to tilt his head up to look at the caller ID: Emmett. Speak of the devil, Edward thought. He pressed the answer button and said groggily, "Mmm, hello..?"

"Yo, dude, wake up!" Emmett boomed from the other line. "Don't you have a photo shoot today?"

"I do" Edward replied hoarsely.

"Then, get your ass off of your bed!" his friend said. "The people ain't waiting for you"

"Who are you anyway, my manager?" Edward snorted.

"Nope. Just a friend who owns the coffee shop you get energy from" Emmett joked. "Eddie, the caffeine doesn't like to wait"

Edward groaned and reluctantly rolled off his bed. "Give me twenty minutes" he said and hung up.

~*~*~

Edward arrived at Emmett's coffee shop just in time to see that his coffee was placed on the counter. "Morning" he mumbled as he approached. He brought the cup of coffee to his lips and sipped.

"Dude, when's Jasper coming? He promised me a free ticket to an NBA game last week" Emmett asked as he wiped the counter with a rag.

Edward shrugged and took off his New York Yankees cap. He placed it on the counter and sat down on one of the metal stools. "He didn't say. He's probably too busy having fun with his family in Europe" Jasper Hale is Edward and Emmett's friend. The three met during college.

"Wish they'd hurry up" Emmett mumbled as he grabbed himself a cup of coffee.

Edward arched a brow. "Aren't you and Rosalie contacting each other? I thought you knew when they'd be back" Rosalie Hale is Jasper's twin sister and Emmett's long time girlfriend.

"Yeah, well, she's being secretive about her return" Emmett grinned as he took a noisy sip of his coffee.

Edward let out a chuckle then he looked down at his watch. He had ten minutes to go to the studio where he was going to do a photo shoot. "Ah, man, I gotta go"

"Sure" Emmett said, taking his friend's mug and placing it on the counter. "Say 'hi' to Cooper for me" Cooper Watson is Edward's manager. He set up a shooting for Edward for a magazine. Cooper told him that he was going to model with one of the 'products' of the Maxi Modeling Studio, a set-up he was used to. He was always invited to several modeling studios—because of his reputation. Truthfully, he didn't expect to be so famous.

"Will do" Edward said as he put back his cap on his head and slipped on his shades. Then he went out the shop.

~*~*~

"Edward, what took you so long?" Cooper said as Edward approached him just outside the entrance of the modeling studio. The guy was lanky but tall with spiky black hair and gray eyes. Unlike Edward who likes wearing button-downs, Cooper is rather a statement-shirts kind of guy.

"I grabbed some coffee at Emmett's shop" Edward explained as he and his manager entered the building. "And the party last night didn't help me in remembering either"

Cooper sighed—the sigh he usually did when Edward does something completely irresponsible. "I don't want to hear about your hang-over, Edward. I'm just glad you got here on time—well, barely"

The two got inside a vacant elevator and waited to arrive at their designated floor. They were accompanied by elevator music—the kind which always keeps Edward irritated. He never liked elevator music.

Finally, they arrived. They both stepped out of the elevator and walked their way through the vast hallway. Edward, through his tinted shades, looked around and noticed that there were various framed pictures of a beautiful brown-haired girl. A smile played around his lips as he sort of wished he would experience a shooting with the model.

"I see you've taken a liking to Bella Swan?" Cooper teased when he noticed Edward staring at the pictures. Edward looked at him and grinned.

"Not really" it was partly true—and partly a lie. "I'm not interested in her"

Cooper rolled his eyes. "Well, you have no choice but to model with her"

Looks like Edward got his wish. He couldn't help but chuckle. "Oh. Lucky me"

"Welcome Mister Cullen—Mister Watson" a middle-aged guy in a black suit approached them with a grin. He held out a hand to Cooper and added, "Max Gerard—owner of Maxi Modeling Studio"

Cooper shook Max's hand politely and said, "Glad to be here, Mister Gerard"

Max Gerard then held out hand to Edward. Edward grinned and took off his glasses as he shook the man's hand politely as well. "Nice to meet you"

"The pleasure's all mine, Mister Cullen" Max laughed. "Isabella is still having her solo photo shoot so… would you two mind if you stay in the lounge for a bit?"

"No problem" Cooper answered. "Take your time"

Then Max turned around and disappeared inside a room. Edward could see cameras flashing inside—it must've been where the shooting was taking place. He also managed to hear tidbits like, "Good, Bella"

Edward sat down on the L-shaped sofa and began absentmindedly tapping on the armrest. Cooper didn't take notice since he was too busy scanning the pages of a magazine.

A few minutes later, a plain-looking girl with a headset on approached them. She looked down at her clipboard and said, "Uhm, Mister Cullen?"

Edward grinned and waved a hand at her, "I'm here" he said smoothly. He tried very hard not to laugh when he realized that he made the girl blush. He tended to do that to women.

"Uh, your photo shoot will start after a few moments. Your dressing room's ready now to accommodate you" the girl continued before turning away and disappearing first into the room.

Cooper clapped a hand on Edward's knee and stood up. "C'mon, Ed, let's go"

Edward followed his manager and the girl inside the dark room. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw a girl right behind a white backdrop clad only in a button-down. _Must be Bella Swan_, he thought. The headset-clad girl gestured him to come inside a dressing room away from the shooting. He went inside.

"Your clothing is placed on the chair" the girl informed. Edward smiled and closed the door behind him. When he turned around, he saw a pair of black jeans laid out neatly before him. He let out a small chuckle and slipped inside the bathroom to get dressed. When he got out—clad only in the jeans—he was greeted by Cooper and an artistic-looking girl with cat's-eye glasses. She grinned up at him and said, "Hi I'm Melanie—you're makeup artist for this morning"

"Nice to meet you" Edward said politely as he sat down on a folding chair and waited to be prepped up. A few minutes flew by and he was finally done. He said his thanks to the woman and emerged out his dressing room. There he met up with Max.

"Edward, please wait for awhile—Isabella is just preparing" Max said.

"No, I don't mind waiting"

"That's good." Max grinned. He looked at the set for a moment before returning his attention to Edward. "How do you like New York so far, Edward? I hear you just got moved here a couple of weeks ago, am I right?"

Edward put his hands inside the pockets of his jeans and said, "Um, yeah, I just did. And I think New York's growing on me pretty quick. It's a lot more comforting since I have a friend who resides here"

"That's lucky" Max laughed.

"I guess I am" Edward couldn't hide the grin any longer.

"Well, unlike you, Bella Swan's been here as long as she could remember" Max said. "I'm just sad to know that she only discovered modeling a few years ago"

"Well, she probably didn't expect to be one"

"Yes, I suppose so"

"So, is she one of your prodigies?" Edward wondered, seeing as that Bella's face was all over the studio.

"Oh yes she is" Max proudly said. "She's very easy to work with—one of the best, in my book"

"I'm glad to know I won't have difficulty today" Edward joked.

"Papa Maxi, Bella's all done!" a trill voice said from behind. Edward turned around to find two girls approaching them. He immediately recognized the face of Bella's between the two. He couldn't help but smile when he saw how gorgeous she looked in a skimpy dress. It also amused him how she looked like she was staring back at him.

Max looked over Edward's shoulder and grinned wider, "Let's start, then" he said. Then he turned back to Edward. "Edward, please take care of my Bella"

Edward grinned at Bella playfully and said, "I will." Then he approached her with confidence, reaching out his hand to her. "Shall we?"

Bella grinned up at him. Edward noticed that Bella was playing his game. It intrigued him. "Lead the way" she answered.

They both approached the set silently, still hand-in-hand. Then the photographer ordered, "Edward, let Bella sit on your lap now" Edward silently laughed at the luck he was having today. He dragged Bella down onto his lap as he settled on the couch. He noted that Bella was somewhat tense. "Good. Now Bella, wound your arm around his neck. Pull yourself closer to him."

Edward looked up at Bella when he noticed that his face merely inches away from her chest. She looked slightly flustered at the closeness—Edward smiled silently to himself as he faced the camera. The photographer clicked away.

After a few shots, the photographer said, "okay. This is the part for the intimacy to come in"

Edward was silent when he heard this. _What kind of intimacy did the guy want?_ He thought.

"Your position stays the same, but," the photographer paused. "You guys have to smooch. Okay with that?"

"I'm fine with that" Edward suddenly said. He didn't know why he was so confident. Well, he was always calm about these things—it was only for the job. But somehow, he wanted to know how Bella's lips felt like pressed to his.

"You are?" Bella asked him—a tone of sarcasm hinted everywhere. _The girl has attitude—didn't expect that_, he noted to himself.

"I don't find anything wrong about kissing you," he said, teasing. "—Even though we just met and all" it was true—but he just wanted to taste her already.

"Positions please" the photographer said.

"I'm not ready yet" she suddenly blurted out, earning her incredulous looks from everyone in the room. Edward was genuinely surprised that a girl would object to kissing him. It was only a job after all. Max didn't mention that his prodigy was not yet trying out this kind of stuff, Edward wondered. "I mean, I need to prep up."

"Kissing doesn't need prepping up, Bella" Max said, a grin on his face. There was a glint of sympathy for her—and Edward saw that. "I know you're nervous but this is the next step to your career"

Edward heard Bella's groan. He couldn't help but say, "Just do it with me, Bella. No harm with one peck." He decided to ignore the almost-there double-meaning with what he said. He bets Emmett would laugh at the statement.

"Let's try" the photographer urged. He disappeared once more behind his camera. Bella reluctantly looked down at Edward. Slowly, she leaned down. Edward tilted his chin up so their mouths could meet.

And when they did, it was almost as if something exploded inside Edward. He couldn't describe that electric feeling he was experiencing—but it was good. Then suddenly, he had the urge to play with her lips a little. He slowly moved his lips—growing urgent. He could feel Bella tense up. He was aware that he was being carried away—but he didn't mind. He _likes_ the feeling. No other girl made him act like that before. Bella was probably one of a kind.

"Good" the photographer said. "More passion now"

Then, out of impulse, Edward licked Bella's bottom lip with his tongue. He could feel Bella become more tensed up.

"That looks so hot, Bella!" the girl with Bella earlier giggled. Edward had to agree to that. His and Bella's kiss was steaming up.

Unfortunately, Bella pulled away. She put both her hands onto Edward's chest and pushed, breaking the contact between his lips and hers. She blinked a few times and looked like she was dizzy.

Edward looked completely surprised. "That was—weird" he said. Then he flashed a grin. He couldn't help it—he really couldn't. "Didn't know you were capable of that"

Bella scowled down at him. "Pig" she snarled in a whisper and walked away from the set. Edward felt hurt and guilty inside. He knew he shouldn't have done that—but at the same time, he was glad he did. If he hadn't used the opportunity, he wouldn't have realized how drawn to Bella he was.

Wordlessly, he stood up. Cooper approached him with furrowed eyebrows. "What was that about?" he demanded in a businesslike tone.

Edward ran a hand through his messy bronze hair and chuckled like a maniac. "I… I have no idea. I just… went in"

Cooper arched a brow. "What did she do to you?" he said, teasing. "You're suddenly sounding scatter-brained"

Edward grinned at his friend. "We connected"

Cooper still looked skeptical and looked at Bella behind him. Then he turned back to Edward. "Really..? Well, she looks the opposite. She seems like she's surprised"

"Yeah" Edward admitted. "Trust me. I am, too"

* * *

**So... REVIEW**

**P.S. please wait for awhile for the next chapter. i'm still _editing_ it. =)**


	3. Barnes and Noble Meeting

2.

The streaks of sunlight passed through the bamboo blinds on the windows of Bella's room, adding a bit of light. Bella nuzzled further in her comforter, inhaling the strawberry scent of it. Then she heard the padding of slippers just outside. Alice. Bella opened her eyes as she waited for her best friend to burst in. At least now she was ready.

Bella heard the slow turning of the knob. Alice must've thought she was still fast asleep and didn't want to wake her. The door creaked open and a girl with spiky dark hair peered through the small crack. "Bella, are you awake?"

Bella let out an encouraging groan. Alice laughed and opened the door fully. She loped in like a ballerina and sat comfortably on one side of Bella's bed. Bella opened one eye and saw that her best friend was still in her purple nightshirt. This she found highly unusual. "You're not going out?"

"Not yet. I was hoping we could have breakfast together" Alice said, laughing faintly. "Are you up for it now?"

Bella laughed back and slowly sat up. She ran a hand through her head of wavy brown hair and yawned. "Ah, crap. I still feel tired"

"You were probably dreaming of the steamy kiss between you and Edward Cullen" her best friend teased. Bella narrowed her eyes at her and scowled.

"Alice that was, like, a week ago" Bella reminded her friend. "I don't want to hear about it"

"Why are you so snippy when it comes to that?"

"I don't like him"

"You don't like _Edward_? Are you insane? He's HOT!" Alice said, aghast.

Bella rolled her eyes and rolled off her bed. She tugged down her white tank top—which was rising up to her abdomen—and exited her room. Alice followed, still badgering her with remarks concerning the photo shoot last week.

"No. You are not JUST insane—you are completely out of your mind!"

"Alice"

"No offense Bella, but I find you and Edward very attractive to look at"

"Alice!"

Alice pursed her lips, fighting back a smile. Bella groaned and said, "Just… stop" as she continued her way down the black spiral staircase.

She entered the kitchen and opened the fridge to grab two eggs and a pack of frozen bacon. She settled them on the kitchen counter and prepared her cooking materials. Alice, on the other hand, watched her with a grin. _This is getting uncomfortable_, Bella thought.

0*0*0

A few minutes later, Bella put down a plate of steaming bacon and eggs on the table. Then she whirled around to put two slices of bread in the toaster. When she realized Alice was still grinning, she scowled. "Alice, what are you trying to imply?"

Alice threw her head back and laughed. "My GOD! I thought you were still going to reach the afternoon"

Bella arched a brow. "What?"

Alice shook her head during her fit of giggles. After a moment, she straightened herself up and busied her hands by grabbing the glass of orange juice beside her. "Nothing. And, by the way, I still think you guys look abnormally gorgeous together"

"Didn't I tell you to stop?"

Alice rolled her eyes. "Bella, I also meant it when I said that you are insane to be annoyed about the kiss thing"

"I'm not annoyed" Bella said. Truthfully, she didn't find anything bad about the kiss—it was amazing, actually—but it was the fact that she sort of had an electrifying moment with Edward. It scared her because she heard rumors that he wasn't as angelic as his face seems to give off. "Just… taken aback"

Alice looked at her sarcastically.

"Okay. Maybe I'm teeny bit annoyed"

Alice grinned. "I thought so" she said as she sipped some of her juice. Bella rolled her eyes then stabbed a piece of crispy bacon with her fork.

_Ping_

The toaster sounded and two slices of bread popped out. Alice grabbed a plate and placed the toasted breads onto it. She also grabbed a bar of butter on her way back to the table.

Finally, they dismissed the topic and began talking just about anything. Unsurprisingly, Alice talked about shopping. "Ooh, I just learned that there's a sale today! Want to come?"

Bella shook her head. "I'm not in the mood for clothing sales. I think I'm going to head to the bookstore later instead" She said.

Alice, surprisingly, took it well. She shrugged and stood up to clean up her dish. Bella took hers too and they both started to clear up the table. In a matter of minutes, they finished.

They took turns in using the bathroom to take a shower. They were going to separate places today, and they decided to walk out their apartment building together.

Alice decided to wear a leather jacket over her turtleneck sweater. Her bottom was a snug pair of black pants wrapped with a chunky belt. Her feet were adorned with leather boots with heels. And on her spiky dark hair perched a white urban hat. She didn't bring much stuff when she goes shopping, that was why she only carried a simply white clutch bag. All she needed were her credit cards and she was done.

Bella, on the other hand, decided to dress simple. She wore a white long-sleeved blouse and black skinny jeans. Over her outfit was a gold pea-coat with large black buttons. She wore knee-high boots with small heels—she wasn't good with balance. And on her head was a white knit-cap with a red fabric rose sewn at one side. Her bag, instead of a clutch, was a large hobo bag.

Bella and Alice strutted out the apartment building, getting a handful of side-glances from guys as they walked through the manic city that was New York. They parted ways when they got to the nearest entrance to a subway station. Bella hailed a yellow taxi cab and told the driver to drive her just in front of Barnes and Noble Booksellers.

When she got there, she came across a newsstand. She approached it and immediately scowled. She picked up a magazine from one of the displays and began flipping through the pages. It was the magazine she featured in—along with Edward.

Finally, she saw the photograph.

Bella scowled at the picture taunting her. She wanted to tear every copy of it and burn it into ashes. She returned the magazine back into its display and prepared to turn away when a manly hand made a grab for it. In cheetah-speed, Bella snatched it away from the guy. "You can't see it" she said.

"Not even if it's me in there?" a familiar voice said, teasing. "I heard that people drooled over it. We make a great team, eh?"

Reluctantly, Bella looked up. Edward Cullen was grinning down at her, his eyes boring into hers again.

"We meet again" he said, his voice as every bit as irresistible as Bella remembered it had been.

Bella took off her cap and narrowed her eyes at the guy in front of her. "How'd you spot me in this crowd?" she asked.

He chuckled. "It was just coincidental that I saw you flipping through the magazine. I'm out here to get to Barnes and Nobles to buy a book I've been meaning to purchase." Bella didn't bother to think about the coincidence that they both had the intention to visit the same bookstore today.

"And what book is that?" Bella asked, not really interested to know. She just found herself striking up a conversation with her co-model.

"Angels and Demons" he said. "I already read it but I wanted to own one."

"That's a good book, I guess" she said, looking up at the small peeking sky.

"Have you read it?" he asked.

"Kind of" she admitted. She shrugged when she saw that he was looking at her like she was weird. "But it wasn't my type of book"

"And what do _you_ prefer?" he asked.

"Nicholas Sparks and Mitch Albom books" Bella said frankly.

Edward arched a brow and grinned at her. "So, you're a softie? Huh. That's weird. I sort of thought you were interested in snarky books."

Bella rolled her eyes and smacked him in the arm. He didn't flinch. He just chuckled. "Just because I have an attitude doesn't mean I like books with the same personality."

He chuckled. "I'm sorry" he said, grinning. Bella rolled her eyes. Then she blinked when the chuckling began to fade. She looked up at Edward and arched a brow.

"What's wrong?" she asked.

He looked down at her and, suddenly, wrapped an arm around her shoulders. Bella blinked in surprise when he then led her inside the bookstore. When she pulled away—and he voluntarily let go—he shrugged and smiled. "Paparazzi was about to spot us" he explained. "Wouldn't want attention now, would we?"

Bella blushed then smirked. "Um, thanks for the save" she said. He was probably referring to the attention that they might get by being seen together. People might think that they were _dating_. Ugh.

"You're welcome," he said. "Shall we start looking around?"

Bella nodded and soon they roamed the bookstore until they couldn't any more. She couldn't believe that Edward could be real fun to be with… despite his jerky personality. He made her laugh and roll her eyes the whole time they were together. He even recommended books she was surprised to take a liking to. And in between, they managed to know more about each other.

As their 'looking-around' ended, Bella smiled up at him and said, "Well, thanks for accompanying me."

Edward looked intensely at her then leaned down so his face was only a few inches from hers. Bella's heartbeat began to speed up at the close proximity. Then she suddenly had a selfish thought that he was going to kiss her again. But he didn't. Bella tried to ignore the fact that she was kind of disappointed when he didn't.

Instead, he pulled his mouth closer to her ear. "Thank you too, Bella" he whispered, his breath tickling her. Then he pulled away and grinned. "But I have to go somewhere else now"

Bella blinked and said, "sure. See you around, I guess"

He grinned then turned away.

0*0*0

"Here's your cappuccino, Miss Bella" the girl behind the counter said sweetly as she gave Bella her drink.

"Thank you" Bella said, equally warm. Then she went out of the coffee shop and strutted through the streets. She felt her phone vibrate from her bag so she fished it out and looked down at the caller ID. Alice. She pressed her phone to her ear and said, "Hello?"

"Bella, good news!" her best friend trilled from the other line. "Papa Maxi _just_ informed me that there's going to be a special project for models from different agencies—and _you're_ chosen to be picked."

"Really..?" Bella couldn't hide the delight in her voice. She was probably going to be working with a lot of famous supermodels. She just wished she was going to be one of the lucky ones.

"Really" Alice confirmed.

"That's great!"

"The announcement of selected models will be tomorrow" Alice informed. "Oh, Bella, I wish you'd be chosen!"

"Me, too" Bella said, grinning. "How many are supposed to be chosen anyway?"

"Just two" Alice said, laughing a little. "One male, one female… but from NYC only. There's probably going to be more from other places."

"That's… going to be nerve-wracking" Bella sighed.

"Don't worry, Bella" Alice said confidently. "You'll definitely get it!"

Bella sure hopes so.

0*0*0

**And here's the preview for the next chapter:**

_Bella blushed at the realization that he was going to be in California too. And she was going to be working with him—again._

_He saw her from the crowd and glided through it to get to her. His eyes never left hers. She tried to ignore the gawks she was getting because of him._

_Finally, he was just a few inches away. His smile was so mesmerizing. "This must be fate, then, eh?"_

_Bella pursed her lips and cursed herself for blushing. "Shut up" she mumbled. He laughed, unfazed—yet again—by her attitude._

**REVIEW PLEASE.**


	4. The Announcement

3.

"Bella, Papa Maxi just called!" Alice called out from the hallway. Bella raised her head from her magazine and waited for her best friend to emerge from the entrance to the living room. She unfolded her legs from the couch and slipped on her fuzzy slippers.

"What did he call about?" she asked when her best friend, arms busy carrying numerous shopping bags, finally appeared. Bella briefly laughed at the sight before helping Alice with the baggage. Seriously… her best friend was too much of a shopaholic.

"Details about the party later," Alice said with a grin. She placed her shopping bags on the nearest armchair and sat on the couch beside Bella. "The Announcement's going to be held at Claire Day-Ritz Hotel at eight pm the night after tomorrow."

Bella crossed her arms over her chest. "Fancy" she mumbled as she crossed her legs in an Indian seat position.

"That's not the best part" Alice added rather enthusiastically. "You're advised to dress formally—a job for me!"

Bella rolled her eyes. _Oh, no_. "Oh joy" she teased.

Her best friend decided to ignore the sarcasm and began babbling about possible outfits. "A black cocktail dress, maybe, paired with black strapped sandals… Oh! How about a fire-engine red backless dress with…"

"That's nice," Bella interjected as she stood up. She made her way towards the nearest phone and asked, "Chinese takeout for lunch? The usual..?"

Alice nodded then zoomed up the stairs—probably to her room. Bella shook her head then began dialing.

_Toot, toot, toot… click._ "China-Day Delivery" a voice said from the other line.

"Yes, um, this is Bella Swan. I'm going to have two orders of sweet-and-sour pork with rice, please" Bella said politely. "I live in Emerald Green Condominiums, Room 913BS"

Bella then heard faint scribbling from the other line. "Your order will be delivered within thirty minutes, ma'am" the voice said, equally polite.

"Thank you" then Bella hung up. She let out a sigh and began flipping through random magazines on the coffee table.

She immediately stopped when she came across a photograph of Edward Cullen. He was wearing a button-down with a loose tie and black slacks. His eyes were fixed at the camera, making Bella think he was actually looking at _her_. She shook her head to stop her blushing. She was NOT going to have a crush on such a carefree guy like him.

Just then, Alice came bustling back in the living room, her phone in hand. "Bella, I just called Desiree!" Desiree Mason was their old friend in high school. She was practically the twin of Alice since they both loved to shop. She's currently a dress-designer—just like Alice. "She told me she's coming to the Announcement too. She designed Tanya Denali's dress, by the way." Tanya Denali was the current head of the Modeling Institution in New York—one of the judges.

"Wow, what a big step for her then" Bella said.

"Yeah, I'm happy for her" Alice beamed. She wasn't jealous of Desiree because she'd already designed outfits for A-listed celebrities. Bella felt lucky that she was the best friend of such an outfitter. "Well, I guess I have to work on yours now."

"Don't strain yourself" Bella teased. Alice smirked then began to look down at the magazine Bella was browsing. Bella looked down too and then blushed. It was still the page where Edward was in. she immediately closed it shut. "It's not what you think"

Alice let out a giggle and rolled her eyes. "Of course it's not" she said sarcastically. "Well, I'll be in my room if you need me."

Bella nodded then Alice went back upstairs.

0*0*0

_The next day_

"Hold still!" Alice hissed as she zipped up the back of Bella's dress. Bella groaned as she forced herself to stiffen for a few moments. She wasn't comfortable with the dress. Once again, it went beyond her comfort zone. And to think being a supermodel made her more confident.

It was a tiny black dress with spaghetti straps. The neckline was curved into a deep V and the bottom part was tiered in soft fabric. It looked okay at first—but Bella realized it was too short. It just ended just above the knees. It also didn't help that the back part was practically backless. So Alice barely had anything to zip up.

Alice pulled away and assessed her creation. Bella internally groaned. "Hmm… needs some work on the chest part" Alice mumbled. Bella widened her eyes.

"What do you mean it still needs work here?!" she gestured at her chest, "My boobs are practically popping out!"

Alice rolled her eyes and smirked. "Bella, just try to be confident for once" she said. "Sheesh"

"FYI, I wouldn't be a supermodel now if I'm not confident" Bella retorted, sounding indignant.

"And FYI, you haven't modeled too-skimpy clothes yet" Alice countered… _Touché_. "The only out-there thing you've done so far during a shoot was the—"

Bella knew exactly what her best friend was going to say so she held up one hand at her and interjected, "DON'T say it, Alice."

Alice pursed her lips and continued anyway, despite the almost-there threat. "—kissing scene with Edward Cullen" she said quickly before Bella could interrupt.

Bella narrowed her eyes and put her hands on her hips. "You can be so annoying, Alice" she said. Her best friend just laughed at that.

She huffed then twirled around to examine the dress herself in the mirror. She didn't dare complain anymore since she was positive she was just going to be refuted—hard. "See? You look completely gorgeous… and you will be even more dazzling when I fix your face and hair tomorrow night."

_Oh joy_

"Alice?" Bella looked at her friend and she silently smiled to herself when she noticed Alice looking like a puppy—waiting. "Just don't… overdo it, okay?"

Alice began laughing again. "Yeah, Bella! Like that would even work on me."

Bella winced. _I had to try_, she thought, sarcasm brooding all around.

A few minutes passed and Bella and Alice were being mellow in their living room couch when Alice suddenly said, looking impish, "Oh, Bella, I forgot to mention something."

Bella knew that look. It simply signaled something bad. "What is it?" she said, immaturely cautious. She was openly scared of her best friend sometimes—due to her hyperactivities. Alice was almost always acting like she had too much caffeine in her system.

"Oh, nothing significant" Alice was playing indifferent again. This caught Bella more on edge. Finally, Alice looked at her and grinned wider, a naughty shimmer in her dark brown eyes. "Except, I heard that Edward Cullen was also chosen as a representative in his respective agency."

Bella arched a brow. "Really? Huh" she said. She thought that Cullen was some sort of 'nomad'—kind of a freelancing model. Of course, he couldn't be since he was very famous and _very_ on-demand.

"It caught me by surprise too" Alice admitted. "But Papa Maxi told me Edward works for Tanya Denali's main modeling company. It must mean he's testing the different waters in New York."

Bella shrugged and tried to act indifferent.

"You're not interested?" Alice was genuinely perplexed—and disappointed.

"Nope" Bella said. She rolled her eyes and added, "Alice, I barely know the guy. And I believe the rumors."

"What rumors? Oh, you mean the ones saying he's some kind of playboy?"

Bella pointed at her best friend and said, "Yep. That one"

"Since when are you a believer of gossips?"

"Since I became your best friend" Bella teased. Alice scowled but began to laugh a second later.

0*0*0

_The next day—7:48_ pm

Bella and Alice entered the glitzy hotel party hall, looking formal and refined. There were a lot of people—supermodels, photographers, managers, and posses—there, mingling with each other. It didn't take long for the two of them to recognize Max Gerard from the crowd. The middle-aged man behind Maxi Studios stood near the wine table, sipping casually his glass of champagne. He was too busy talking to a colleague to notice the two girls approaching him.

"Max!" Alice bellowed, making him turn his head to them. He once told them that he was only to be called Papa Maxi in the studios.

Max stretched out his arms and grinned at the two dazzling women. "Bella, Alice! Finally you two are here" he said.

One by one, the two best friends took turns hugging their boss. Bella smiled at him then began surveying her surroundings. Almost everyone in the room was wearing dark colors—perfect in the night. Although all she could see were the bright flashing lights of cameras. This was a big even after all.

And, just beyond the crowd, she could make out a blonde-haired woman in a silk plum dress. She knew it was Tanya Denali—because of the articles she once browsed. Tanya was just two years older than her… but she could pass as a younger person. She was that beautiful.

Bella's stomach lurched when she saw that Edward was talking to Tanya, his boss. He smiled at something—and Tanya smiled back. She tried not to notice that he looked more handsome in his black button-down and slacks. His hair was tousled in disarray—like usual. She reluctantly looked away from him then joined in on Max and Alice's conversation.

…

"May I have your attention, please!" a voice boomed from the stage. Bella and Alice stopped talking then went to turn their heads at the tall guy calling for their interest. "I'd like to, first of all, greet you all good evening and welcome to this grand night of anticipation."

The models all around began chatting in hushed whispers, excited. Bella wasn't one of them since she was too busy pursing her lips because of her nervousness.

"To begin this occasion, I'd like to call onstage the beautiful and generous, Miss Tanya Denali!" the guy continued. There was sudden applause and instantaneous camera flashes.

Tanya climbed onstage and addressed the audience with a radiant smile. "Thank you, Mister Newton, for the introduction" she said sweetly. Her eyes began to hover around the surroundings and smiled wider. "It is deeply an honor to become one of the judges of this very special model selection. I assure you all that the lucky male-female tandem we have chosen will make us proud."

"Bella," Alice hissed in her ear. "Look at Tanya Denali's shoes! They're so awesome"

Bella rolled her eyes and said nothing.

"So may I now ask Mister Watson to come up onstage for the announcement?" Tanya continued. The applause began again when a tall guy with spiky black hair stepped up. He kissed Tanya's cheek lightly then waved an envelope in the air. The guy was familiar…

"He's Edward Cullen's manager, isn't it?" one model near Bella whispered. She had stick-straight black hair and she was wearing a strapless red cocktail dress. "Oh, no doubt Edward's the male winner!"

"Yes," the model's companion giggled. This girl, on the other hand, had curly auburn hair and was wearing a cream-colored ruffle dress. "He's too delectable to be unnoticed. And I bet the female winner is going to be _moi_"

"In your dreams, Elizabeth," the black-haired model scoffed at her companion. "_I_ bet it'sgoing to be _me_"

"If you think I'm dreaming, Cameron, _you're_ completely being delusional," Elizabeth countered back, flipping her hair snobbishly.

"BOTH of them are delusional" Alice suddenly hissed at Bella's ear.

"Ssh, they might hear you," Bella cautioned her best friend. Surprisingly, Alice obeyed.

"For the male winner we have…" Mister Watson paused for a dramatic effect before continuing, "none other than Edward Cullen!" excited chatters began again in the room. Girls squealed in whispers. They were hoping they'd be paired up with the Greek god.

"Bella, if I hear your name being called as the winner, you can no longer stop me from shouting at the world it's fate" Alice teased. She was practically jumping in excitement. Bella, on the other hand, was still nervous.

She didn't know what to feel. She wanted to wish it was her that was chosen… but it practically meant her working with Edward Cullen for a month. She was reluctantly admitting it excited her—but one small part of her thought she didn't want it after all. She was such a mess.

Bella was too cooped up in her head battling out her real feelings to hear the applause. Suddenly, Alice began shouting, "It is fate!" loudly. Bella blinked in surprise and saw that the spotlight was on her.

_She was actually chosen_

Right then and there she realized that all heads were turned to her. Some models plastered on fake smiles. Bella was completely aware they were jealous of her.

"Congratulations, Miss Bella Swan!" Tanya Denali said brightly from the stage. "You deserve it"

Bella let out a smile and, out of the corner of her eye, saw that Edward Cullen was looking around—looking for her. He obviously wasn't paying attention to the spotlight.

A few moments later, he finally spotted her.

Suddenly, her memory of reading the leaflet containing the info of the model selections popped into her head:

"_One lucky male-female tandem of the hot fashion scene of New York would have the honor of working with famous photographers and equally excellent supermodels in California for a special one-month fashion celebration… the hard work put onto this project would be splattered in every well-known magazines and photo compilations" _… and blah, blah, blah

Bella blushed at the realization that he was going to be in California too. And she was going to be working with him—again.

He saw her from the crowd and glided through it to get to her. His eyes never left hers. She tried to ignore the gawks she was getting because of him.

Finally, he was just a few inches away. His smile was so mesmerizing. "This must be fate, then, eh?"

Bella pursed her lips and cursed herself for blushing. "Shut up" she mumbled. He laughed, unfazed—yet again—by her attitude.

He held out a hand for her to take. Oh no. Did they have to go up onstage? "Shall we go up, Miss Swan?" he teased, his eyes smoldering her.

Reluctantly, Bella took his hand then he led the way through the parting crowd. Unexpectedly, Edward let go of their entwined fingers and wrapped an arm around her shoulders. Soon, his scent enveloped her and she felt dizzy because of it. It was so… sweet.

As they neared the stage, she raised her hand to squeeze his. She tried not to blush when he squeezed back. "Do we really have to?" she whispered to him while putting on a smile.

"Of course" he said. Bella stifled a groan.

Both of them went up onstage, still close together. Tanya turned to them and smiled radiantly. She kissed Edward on the cheek and lingered there for awhile. Bella suddenly felt curious. When Tanya finally moved away, she gave Bella a warm hug. "Congrats" she whispered in her ear.

"Thanks" she said breathlessly.

…

"Congrats to both of you," Cameron and Elizabeth said plastically to the two of them.

Bella bit her lip and forced a smile. "Thanks" she said, for probably the millionth time.

"Thank you for that" Edward grinned at the two, who swooned at the sight of him so close. _Jesus_

When they finally got away from the congratulating brigade, Bella sighed when they reached the balcony. She wasn't sure how they got there—alone. But she decided to ignore the excitement she felt about being there with him. "That was too much" she groaned.

"No kidding" Edward teased as he ran a hand through his messy bronze hair. Bella blushed at the gesture.

"So," she trailed off as she propped her chin on her palm. "I guess we'll be working together—again."

"Mmm-hmm," Edward replied, teasing again. "Lucky, huh"

Bella rolled her eyes. "Hardly" she mumbled.

Edward chuckled, not bothered by her attitude again. Still teasing, he leaned closer to her. "Please… like _you're_ not happy with that."

Bella blinked then blushed. "I'm not" she said, lying impulsively.

"Just admit that you like that idea, Bella" he continued to tease her as he leaned closer and closer—until their noses were touching. Bella could feel his soft sweet breath on her face.

"Would you stop that?" she said airily, the attitude not there.

"Stop what?" he was playing dumb, and Bella knew it. His eyes were too amused to pass off as innocent. "I'm not doing anything"

She rolled her eyes then looked away. "Sure you aren't" she said sarcastically. Right then and there she wanted to slap herself to make the redness in her face disappear.

Just then, someone interrupted their quiet night. They both turned to see a tall handsome man with curly blonde hair. He jumped a little at the realization there was someone there. "Oh, I didn't know there were people here" he said politely.

Bella stood up straight then gasped in realization who the man was. "Oh, my God—_Christopher_..?"

Christopher widened his drowsy grey eyes then immediately grinned in recognition. "Hey, Bella-Rina. I didn't know you're a model now—let alone a representative for New York"

Bella let out a laugh as she ran towards him and hugged him tight. She didn't notice that Edward felt a little uneasy back there. "Man, no one's called me that for three years! How've you been?"

"I've been fine, thanks" he laughed his familiar laugh. He pulled back from the hug then looked at her with glimmering eyes. "Wow… didn't know you could clean up well, Plain Jane"

Bella pouted then smacked him in the arm. She laughed when she remembered she used to punch him back in college. Christopher was such a figure in her past—he was like the brother she never had.

"Oh, hey Edward," Christopher suddenly said, waving briefly at Edward. Bella's jaw dropped.

"Hey, Chris" Edward said casually. He put his hands inside the pockets of his slacks then grinned. "I didn't know you and Bella had…"

"A past" Chris offered, amused. "Yeah… we're close."

"Well, this is a surprise" Bella mumbled. It truly was a surprise.

She guessed things could get a little interesting—and it all started because Edward entered her life… but not like _that_.

0*0*0

**This is a preview of the next chapter: [Sorry if it's so short]**

_Bella immediately took off her sunglasses then eyed the woman in surprise. What was she talking about? "E-excuse me?" she stammered._

_The woman smirked. "Didn't think so" she said then turned away._

**A ****review**** is much appreciated.**


	5. Arrival

4.

_Maxi Modeling Studios_

"Congrats on the win" Jessica Stanley said as she stopped to talk to Bella. It was obvious she had just gone out to get some caffeine fix. Jessica was holding a Starbucks coffee cup, her clipboard in the other hand.

"Thanks" said Bella, grinning sheepishly. "It was unexpected, actually."

"No, it's not" her friend countered. "You're obviously made for it."

"Thanks again," she said, mentally rolling her eyes. Bella never liked attention and praises. "So, um, see you around."

Jessica gave her a quick hug then walked away. "See ya!"

Bella thought it was already her last 'congratulations!' ambush for the day… she was wrong. Without warning, twins Erica and Valeria Collins—who work as Jessica's assistants—ensnared her by coming at her sides. They enveloped her in a tight hug and giggled their congratulations.

"Congratulations, Bella dear!" they squealed in unison. Erica, the girl in green, pulled back first.

"Ohmigod, you are _sooo_ lucky!" she said in a dreaming voice. "I mean, Edward Cullen? You're probably in heaven now."

Bella didn't answer since she was feeling a little uneasy. _Man, these people are congratulating me like I'm _dating_ the guy!_ She thought to herself.

"Yes, you must be!" Valeria, the twin with purple-everything, grinned. "Hell, I think its fate. Am I right, E?"

Her twin nodded in agreement. "Have you been wrong before, V? I think not!" Erica said in a knowing voice.

"Geez, that's nice of you" Bella said, her grin tense. "But there's nothing between me and…"

"Who said there was something between you and Edward Cullen?" Erica asked, playing dumb.

Valeria clapped her hands together then said, "Oh, so there _is_ something between you and Edward Cullen" she narrowed her eyes at Bella and grinned, "ooh, you, Bella Swan, are a very sly supermodel…"

Bella blushed. "There's nothing going on!" she said then she couldn't help but giggle. The twins were making her laugh—like usual.

"Fine. Don't tell us" they said in unison, in a sort of creepy way. They were very in tune with each other. "But you'll regret it for denying" they added teasingly.

Bella let out another laugh. "Trust me, girls, I am NOT denying" she said. "I swear"

"You're lucky you're a VIP" they teased in a singsong voice then turned away.

…

When Bella was dismissed from Max's office—they discussed about the special modeling project—she went straight to her apartment, and there she was cornered by Alice. "How'd the briefing go with Papa Maxi?"

"It was okay" said Bella as she plopped on the couch. "I _think_ I'm going to survive"

Her best friend snorted then plopped on the couch beside her. "Don't be dramatic. You're, like, tempting me to come with you"

She pouted. "Ali, I can't believe you can't come with me."

Alice sighed. "I can't believe it, too" she said. "But I have a fashion show to attend to, remember?"

"Bad timing"

"Don't worry, Bella! I'm going to choose what you're going to pack for you" Alice said, her chin held up high. "That way, you won't be exposed as being a model with no fashion sense"

Bella rolled her eyes. "Thanks a mil" she said sarcastically. Then they both erupted into fits of giggles. God, she was going to miss her too-hyper best friend—a lot.

0*0*0

_The day of the flight_

Bella fixed her white urban hat in place since it was a little slanted. She was feeling nervous. This was the day she was going to meet her other co-models. The only person she was aware of was Edward Cullen—and he wasn't even here yet.

She was at the airport already, waiting for the others. She was thankful that her boss, Max Gerard, was nice enough to wait with her. He was away at the moment to grab some coffee for the two of them. Just then, she heard the familiar voice of Mister Watson, Edward Cullen's manager.

"Yes, Tanya, we're already here" said Mister Watson, speaking to Tanya Denali on the phone. Bella tried hard not to blush when she realized Edward was beside his manager. He was wearing faded jeans and a navy v-neck shirt under his leather jacket. His face was obscured because of his cap that was perched on his head. He was busy looking at his phone to notice her there.

He finally did when his manager blurted out, "good morning, Miss Swan."

Bella smiled. "Good morning, too, Mister Watson"

"Call me Cooper" Mister Watson—um, _Cooper_—grinned.

"And you can call me Bella" Bella teased. She got surprised by the way her tone sounded. Was she flirting with this guy?

Cooper laughed then looked around. "Where's Max?" he wondered.

"He grabbed some caffeine" explained Bella. "He'll be here soon"

Cooper nodded. He was about to say something when his phone rang. He held up an index finger then said, "excuse me—I gotta take this," before he turned away to take his call.

Edward took off his baseball cap and Bella could see he was grinning at her. "Excited?" he asked, teasing again.

Bella blushed. "I'm not" she denied. "I just didn't want to be late and embarrass myself in front of other people."

He chuckled then ran a hand through his messy hair. "Well, we wouldn't want to see you blush like a tomato, right?"

Bella scowled then smacked a hand on his arm. She ignored the fact that it was hard—because of his muscle. "Are you really bent on annoying me every time we meet?"

He looked at her in an unusually intense gaze then pursed his lips. "Not really. I have something else in mind" he said mysteriously.

"And what is that?" she challenged.

He grinned, flashing his pearly whites. "Not telling" he teased then dropped the subject.

"I'm back" Cooper said, interrupting the two. "Tanya called again to check."

Edward sighed. "She really should stop doing that. I'm not a little kid anymore" he said. This made Bella grow curious. What was Tanya to Edward?

"She's just acting on impulse" Cooper said, defending Tanya. "Cut her some slack."

Edward rolled his eyes. "Whatever" he mumbled.

Cooper decided to ignore it this time and shifted his attention to Bella. "You nervous, Bella?" he asked.

"Not really" Bella said, lying. She was _very_ nervous. But she didn't want to sound so unprofessional… especially in front of Edward, who was experienced.

"Putting up a brave front, eh?" Cooper teased. Edward grinned. "It's okay to be nervous. This is your first major project right?"

Bella sheepishly nodded then bit her bottom lip.

"Good morning, everyone," another familiar voice boomed from afar. Bella perked up when she realized it was Christopher. He was coming too?

"Why are you here?" Bella asked as she hugged him—right in front of Cooper and Edward.

"Actually, I'm one of supervising crew," he informed her.

Bella sighed. "Thanks for that" she teased. It excited her that she could have the chance to work with Chris—like they were just playing.

Chris chuckled then looked at Cooper and Edward. "Oh, hey Cooper, hey Edward" he said nonchalantly.

Edward grinned. "Couldn't you be bothered to remind any of us that you're going to be part of this project?" he teased, but Bella sensed something tense about his tone.

"Slipped my mind for a sec—but I decided to surprise you guys" Chris said, clasping hands with Edward as a manly gesture.

"How come you know Bella Swan, Chris?" Cooper asked good-naturedly. Bella wanted to ask the same thing too—but about how come he knew Cooper Watson.

"We met in college" said Chris casually. "We lost touch a little because of work."

"Boyfriend-girlfriend..?" Cooper asked, arching a brow. Bella blushed. It wasn't true, but it still made her feel embarrassed.

"Nope" Chris said genuinely. Then Bella saw a mischievous glint in his grey eyes. She couldn't believe it when he said, "at least, not yet."

"Whoa" Cooper chuckled. "Let me know when that works for ya."

Just then, Max returned, his hands busy with holding two cups of coffee. Bella took one and said her thanks before taking a sip. Her lips still glued to the brim of the cup, she eyed Chris and Edward inconspicuously. She was sure something was building up between the two: tension. But they didn't look it since they were acting all buddy-buddy with each other. What was wrong with them?

Suddenly, she felt an arm wrap around her. She let out a squeak in surprise. The owner of the hand let out a smooth, velvety laugh. "Chill, Bella" Edward whispered in her ear, making her shiver. "No one's trying to kidnap you."

"Except maybe you" she mumbled. Unfortunately, he heard. And soon enough, he let out another chiming laugh.

"Whoa. Didn't know you could do comedy" he teased. Then he began to usher her towards the tube that led to the plane.

"Edward, we're not yet complete. Why are we already..?" she said.

"The others are already there, actually" he said smoothly, cutting her off.

She looked up at him and arched a brow. "Huh? Are you sure?" she asked. "I could've sworn they were…" she looked over her shoulder and realized no one was there anymore, "where are they?"

"Do I _really_ have to repeat myself?" he challenged. Then he sighed. "I told you: they're already on the plane. You were too busy sipping your coffee to notice them leaving."

She blushed in embarrassment. "Oh" she said plainly then she let him usher her into the plane. Then she suddenly got curious. "Why are _you_ fetching me?"

"Max told me to," he shrugged. Then he looked down at her and grinned. "And also because you're my seatmate"

She didn't say anything and he just laughed at her silence. This made her more embarrassed than before. _Edward, my SEATMATE?!_ She shouted in her head.

Finally they arrived inside the plane. Edward put a hand on the small of her back and pushed her to the left side. There were two vacant seats there and she immediately sat down by the window. Edward had no choice but to sit by the aisle.

To busy herself, Bella took out her iPod from the pocket of her jeans and inserted the ear buds in her ears. She clicked on the song Heartbeat by Stereo Skyline then closed her eyes. She absentmindedly drummed her fingers on the armrests as she sang the song.

_So baby, keep my heart beat b-beat beat beating._

_And the soul reason I keep believing,  
and we're gonna die like this you know oh, oh.  
Beat, beat, b-beat beat beating  
a-beat beat b-beat beat beating  
hey, hey, beautiful,  
the sunshine shines  
oh, oh so bright, alight.  
Lay back ill spend the night just staring at you.  
For every grain of sand,  
that you drew me pictures in.  
there was one for every time that my, heart,  
dropped, again.  
so baby keep my heart beat b-beat beat beating  
and the soul reason I keep believing,  
oh we're gonna die like this you know oh, oh, oh._

_Heart, beat b-beat beat beating._

_Close your eyes, don't say a word,  
your way to beautiful you've heard.  
The way, the way, my heart keeps beating b-b-b beating.  
For every grain of sand,  
that you drew me pictures in.  
there was one for every time that my, heart, dropped, again.  
So baby keep my heart, beat b-beat beat beating.  
And the soul reason I keep believing,  
oh we're gonna die like this.  
You know oh, oh, oooohhh._

_So baby keep my heart, beat b-beat beat beating,  
and the soul reason I keep believing,  
oh we're gonna die like this you know oh, oh, oh, ooohhhh._

_a-Beat beat b-beat beat beating  
a-beat beat b-beat beat beating  
a-beat beat b-beat beat beating  
a-beat beat b-beat beat beating_

_So baby keep my heart... beat, beat, b-beat beating..  
Oooohh woahh oooh..._

_So baby keep my heart beat b-beat beat beating,  
and the soul reason I keep believing,  
oh we're gonna die like this you know oh, oh, ooohhh..._

_So baby keep my heart beat b-beat beat beating,  
and the soul reason I keep believing,  
oh we're gonna die like this you know oh, oh, oooh..._

After the song, a finger playfully poked her on the cheek. Bella scrunched up her nose then weakly swatted the hand away. Even though she had ear-buds in her ears, she managed to hear a familiar laugh. She opened one eye to peer at her seatmate. Edward was grinning at her.

Bella scowled at him then angrily took off her ear-buds. "What is it?" she asked.

He shrugged then leaned closer. He was doing it again—mesmerizing her. And he was aware of it when Bella hitched a breath and blushed like a ripe tomato. Slowly, he brought his lips to her forehead and lightly kissed her there. When he pulled away he said, "Nothing. I just thought you were kind of cute when you look asleep."

Bella blushed more and impulsively smacked him in the arm. "Stop teasing already" she hissed.

Edward smiled at her then squeezed her cheek a little—like she was a little kid. "I'm not teasing" he said smoothly, making Bella's insides melt.

"What's wrong with you?" she mumbled, mostly to herself.

She was starting to think Edward had super-sensitive hearing because he _heard_ her loud and clear. "Nothing's wrong. In fact, I'm having fun."

"Gee, I hadn't noticed" Bella sighed, sarcastic. "I was too annoyed to be observant. Sorry."

Finally, Edward scowled. "Sarcastic much..?"

"In the genes" she smirked. Then she shrugged in a mock-apology. "Sorry—again."

The bright sun suddenly streaked through the window, making Bella slightly blind. She put down the shades on the window then made herself comfortable with slight darkness. She put back her ear-buds in place then selected another song. She drifted to sleep after a few moments.

A few hours passed, and Bella felt someone take off her ear-buds from her ears. Then she felt someone's tingly breath on her ear. "Bella, we're landing" a smooth voice whispered.

Bella groaned then absentmindedly put a hand on the man's equally smooth face. She felt him smile because she felt something curve: a dimple formed on the face. She peered through her dark eyelashes and saw that Edward's face was once again just a few inches from hers. She jumped in surprise then swiftly took her hand away from his cheek. She felt herself go red—again. "_Geez_, Edward!" she hissed when he laughed at her expression.

"Nice to have you back in the land of the awake, Bella" he teased when he pulled back and strapped in his seatbelt. Still eyeing him, Bella did the same. She let out a sigh then pulled back her hair so she could fix it into a ponytail. She also slid up her sunglasses. Then she lifted the shade of the window. She mentally patted herself in the back when she got met by bright sunlight—good thing she though of putting her shades first. She turned to look at Edward and mentally groaned when he grinned at her, his eyes _already_ blocked by black-framed Ray-Ban sunglasses. He knew this was coming and Bella wished he hadn't. She wanted to see him squint. And she wanted to laugh at him… immaturely.

0*0*0

"Whoa. I didn't know there were a lot of models selected" Bella mumbled when she saw a dozen of male and female models in the hotel lobby. It was called California Springs Hotel, a few minutes away from the airport.

"Of course" Christopher said beside her, pulling up his shades to get a better view of the crowd. He peered down at her and grinned. "You didn't expect that you and Edward were the only ones, did you?"

"No" she said, rather indignantly. "I just didn't imagine that it would be such a huge crowd."

Christopher laughed and didn't say anything. Bella smiled and took a deep breath. She was finally here… along with other supermodels. Absentmindedly, she looked around for Edward. He disappeared right after they got off the plane together… he didn't pop up to annoy her ever since.

"Edward got called by Tanya" Christopher suddenly said, reading her mind.

"How come..?" Bella knew she wasn't supposed to ask something like that. She wasn't in the right place to do so.

"Personal reasons" he grinned then slid back his shades. Bella felt her stomach lurch at the word 'personal.' Just how personal was it exactly?

Bella was about to bluntly ask him, when a tall girl with pale blond hair passed by them, the scent of freesias trailing behind her. Then the woman stopped, took off her sunglasses and grinned at Bella mysteriously. "Bella Swan—the newbie… nice meeting you."

Christopher excused himself then walked away.

Bella shifted her weight from one foot to the other. The woman was making her uneasy—and annoyed. What was the woman's problem anyway? She made it sound like being a newbie was a bad thing.

The woman laughed then waved a manicured hand at her. "Oh. Sorry for coming too strong" she said genuinely. "I didn't mean it in a bad way."

"It's okay" Bella said, smiling back.

"That's good," the woman smiled. She thoughtfully put a finger at one corner of her lips then pouted. "Um, do you know where Edward Cullen is, by chance?" she then pointed at Bella, "you're his girlfriend, right?" the glint in her eyes showed something Bella couldn't decipher clearly: Curiosity, Amusement, or Jealousy.

Bella immediately took off her sunglasses then eyed the woman in surprise. What was she talking about? "E-excuse me?" she stammered.

The woman smirked. "Didn't think so" she said then turned away.

"_That_ was Monique Sanderson," someone snorted. Bella turned around to find a woman with curly red hair and blue eyes. She was tall—another model. She approached her and reached out a hand. "Zoe Newman—model rep from Seattle."

Bella shook Zoe's hand politely then looked at Monique over her shoulder. "Why did she ask if I was Edward Cullen's girlfriend?" '_Cause I clearly am not his girlfriend_, Bella added in her mind.

"Your picture with Edward is all over the nation, Bella," Zoe said with a chuckle. "And Monique's kind of an ex of Edward Cullen."

Bella looked at Zoe in surprise. "Kind of..?"

Zoe smirked. "Yeah. 'Kind of' only" she said. Just then, as if on cue, Edward Cullen emerged from the door—with Tanya Denali at his side. Bella couldn't help but look at them. She heard her new friend laugh beside her.

"Don't worry about that scene," Zoe assured. "Those two are actually…"

"Good morning, everyone! Welcome to California Springs Hotel," a voice boomed from the stage, interrupting what Zoe was going to say. The chatters died down a little to pay attention to the guy. "It is deeply an honor for the hotel management to accommodate all of you—and I hope that you all will enjoy it here. And now, to really start up the crowd, we have NYC Modeling president Tanya Denali"

Tanya went up onstage, like in the Announcement a few nights ago, and addressed the crowd. Bella dared to look at where Edward was and saw he was looking intently at Tanya, she suddenly had a pang of jealousy in her body—Gah! What was wrong with her?!

Then she felt a hand on her shoulder. She looked up and saw that it was Christopher. She smiled up at him and he smiled back. In unison, they both turned their attention to the speaker onstage.

0*0*0

**This is a preview of the next chapter:**

"_Get one please and tell us who you got," a girl with short curly black hair and droopy grey eyes said to Bella, holding out a glass bowl filled with folded papers inside. Bella bit her bottom lip then dipped her hand inside the bowl. She rummaged a little then grabbed the first piece of paper she could grasp. She took it out and unfolded the paper. Her eyes widened, tracing the name._

"_Um," she stammered, blushing. This shouldn't be happening._

"_Who did you get, Bella?" Zoe asked, a few feet away from her._

**Okay, guys. Don't be mad because i already put up the next cbapter. ;]**

**A ****review**** is much appreciated. Don't hesitate—I love to read them!**

**Heck, I don't care if you review how much you hate me for doing such a cliffy preview. Ha-ha. Joking. Be nice, please.**

**NOTE: all the people and places here are fictitious (it's just purely coincidental if such a place I wrote here exists =P). Stephenie Meyer obviously owns some of the characters—and I own the rest.**


	6. Not Agaaaaaaain

5.

"Bella, let's be roommates!" Zoe offered when they all got their luggages from the lobby. She was dangling a pair of keys for one room.

"Sure" Bella said, smiling. When she looked down, she realized that she still hasn't gotten her other suitcase. "Oh. I forgot something back at the lobby—be right back."

"Okay" Zoe shrugged then took a seat by a table in the party hall. After Tanya Denali's speech, everyone was told to stay put there to wait for the luggages. Almost all of them got their bags—but still wasn't in the mood to go up to their rooms.

When Bella reached the luggages, she saw that Edward was fetching his too. She bit her bottom lip then pretended not to see him. She wasn't sure why she wanted to avoid him—but she was doing it anyway.

Unfortunately, he noticed _her_. "Hey" he said, sounding preoccupied. "How's our resident Sleeping Beauty doing?"

Bella huffed. "Fine, actually" she said, groaning. "How's getting reunited to your 'kind of' ex working for ya?" the moment she was done, she regretted saying it. She wasn't supposed to tell him that and let him realize she knew something about him that was more than necessary. She let out a squeak and clamped a hand on her mouth.

Edward straightened from his crouch then eyed her curiously with one brow arched. "Where did you hear that?" he asked.

Bella crossed her arms then pretended to act indignant. "I'm not telling," she replied smugly.

He grinned at her then returned to searching for his bags. Bella followed and silence ensued between them.

She found her other bag after a few moments—and so did Edward. She said a curt goodbye to him then walked away. She would at least be polite, right?

But before she could really be certain he was out of reach, someone grabbed her by the elbow. She was swiftly rotated so that she was facing Edward, their faces just a few inches away from each other. She blinked then immediately blushed, realizing the proximity.

"You've been scooping out tidbits about me, haven't you?" he accused, teasing but a little intimidating. Bella tried to wrench his arm away from her elbow but he wouldn't budge. He was strong—but she knew he wasn't even using his full strength. _Great, Bella, _she groaned to herself mentally. _This just shows how weak you are_.

"No I'm not" Bella denied, narrowing her eyes at him. "Aren't you aware that what you're saying proves you're an egotistic person?"

Edward let out a chuckle. He really wasn't bothered by what Bella says to him. "That's rich, Bella" he teased.

"Edward?" Tanya's distant voice suddenly interrupted them in their own little world. Edward pulled away then ran a hand through his hair.

And when he did that, Bella could've sworn he muttered something like, "what is it now?"

"What, someone's keeping an alert eye on you or something?" Bella teased when she turned away.

0*0*0

_The next day; Room 219_

"Wake-y, wake-y" Zoe said in a singsong voice. Bella slowly sat up then rubbed her eyes. She squinted at her roommate and saw that Zoe was doing some weird positions. She was doing some yoga poses.

"Do you do this every morning?" Bella asked, amused.

"Yup" Zoe grinned. "Keeps me sane most of the time"

_Alice could use the calming_, Bella thought to herself. This made her miss her best friend more. She wondered how her eccentric friend was doing now… alone in New York.

Bella grabbed an elastic band and tied her unruly brown hair into a messy ponytail. She hopped off her bed then stretched out her arms. The cool air from the air-conditioning made her shiver since half of her tummy was exposed because she was only wearing a lime-green tank top and windy pajama bottoms. Zoe, on the other hand, was wearing tight pink shirt and boxer shorts.

"Say, Bella," Zoe said suddenly. "You got a boyfriend?"

Bella looked at her then said, "Nope."

"So that means the rumor wasn't true?"

"Naturally no" Bella knew what rumor that was: _Was she dating Edward Cullen?_ Heck no!

"Too bad" Zoe teased as she wagged her eyebrows up and down. Bella put her hands on her hips then gawked at her.

"Huh?"

Zoe laughed then left the question hanging.

0*0*0

_After breakfast; CSH party hall_

"What are we doing here?" Bella whispered to Zoe.

"Head Honcho's going to give out assignments today" Zoe whispered back. In her term book, 'Head Honcho' meant Tanya Denali. It deeply amused Bella that someone so beautiful could be so spunky and ridiculously goofy like Zoe. She was one of a kind for sure.

"Good morning everyone" Tanya said from the front of the crowd. "I hope you all like your stay here. Today, I will be announcing the theme of this season's model project."

_Theme.._?

"Since it is already two weeks after New Year's—and February's just around the corner," she continued. "The theme will be Valentine's Day."

"Whoa. Good thing it's not November" Zoe joked under her breath. "Or else we'd be dressed for Halloween."

"I guess the theme's simple enough" Bella commented.

"Nah—not really" Zoe said otherwise.

"Why not..?"

"Bella" Zoe said sternly. "This probably means we need to get a _partner_."

Bella suddenly remembered her all-too-familiar partnering with Edward. She immediately blushed. She was lucky this time that no one noticed her redness.

0*0*0

"Good morning, I am Johann Crest, your head photographer for this week," a young man who could pass off as Chace Crawford's twin said as he casually leaned all of his weight in one leg. Bella knew that she wasn't the only one who realized he was a total hottie. The female models began to grin at the oblivious photographer. "So, the first thing we need to do is assign male-female pairs since this _is_ a Valentine's Day photo shooting."

A girl then emerged from the door holding a large glass bowl filled with papers. "The ladies will pick the names" Johann added, grinning. "So, who wants to go first?"

"I will," Monique passed through the small crowd then confidently approached the girl with the bowl. And as she passed Johann, she gave him a flirtatious grin. Zoe let out a groan in response. She really couldn't take the girl and her yucky-ness.

Slowly, Monique took out a folded paper and carefully unfolded it. A flash of annoyance and disappointment appeared on her face but she quickly recovered from it. She let out an 'ooh!' then 'proudly' announced that she got… "Damien Novo" she said in a singsong voice. A good-looking guy with tousled blond hair and bright blue eyes emerged from the crowd, grinning nonchalantly. He and Monique silently flirted with their eyes. Bella knew that it was Monique's way to make Edward jealous—which wasn't working because she could see that Edward was too busy chatting with the other male models.

Thank goodness that another girl stepped out of the crowd. After the girl, Zoe insisted that Bella go first. She reasoned out that she wanted to be the one after her and that it wasn't a good idea to be last. So, reluctantly, Bella approached the girl, biting her lip.

"Get one please and tell us who you got," a girl with short curly black hair and droopy grey eyes said to Bella, holding out the glass bowl filled with folded papers inside. Bella bit her bottom lip then dipped her hand inside the bowl. She rummaged a little then grabbed the first piece of paper she could grasp. She took it out and unfolded the paper. Her eyes widened, tracing the name.

"Um," she stammered, blushing. This shouldn't be happening.

"Who did you get, Bella?" Zoe asked, a few feet away from her.

"Um, I got," Bella cleared her throat and mustered up all her sarcasm when she finally said, "Edward Cullen."

The girl turned to look at Edward then called him to come beside Bella. Edward let out a chuckle then obeyed. And as if they were _that_ close, he put an arm around her shoulders and breathed, "First, the photo shoot; second, at the Barnes and Noble; third, the plane seating; and now this. Lucky, huh"

Bella blushed and said nothing. She tried not to think of the multiple coincidences that had him and her together. She kept telling herself it didn't mean anything.

"I got Louise Craig" Zoe announced, waving her paper lazily. This got Bella to break out of her little reverie.

Then two more girls took their turns. After them, Johann clapped his hands together then said, "Okay, guys. Next step is to get to know your partners. We need all of you to be comfortable with each other. Understand? We wouldn't want to hear complains without trying."

Most nodded—except Bella. Then the chatters began. Edward ushered her to a table in the party hall then cleared his throat. "Do we really have to do this?" he said. "I mean, we already worked together before."

Bella scowled—a cover-up for her blushing. "Don't remind me" she said. Edward chuckled.

"I see you remember it well" he teased.

Bella let out a sigh then propped her chin on her palm lazily. "What should we do, then?" she asked.

Edward shrugged. "Nothing" he said simply. Then he had this mischievous glint in his eyes that made Bella a little nervous. "Or… we could practice."

Bella blushed like a _really_ ripe tomato then spat the first thing that popped into her mind. "Pig," she said. She blushed more when she realized that it was also the same name she called him on their first meeting. This made her imagine the kiss again.

When Edward chuckled again, she finally had it with his indifference. "Okay. Why aren't you the least bit taken aback by my retorts?" she asked. She was really curious.

"I'm not affected because I keep thinking how you're cute when you get angry" he said smoothly.

"Are you really programmed to be such a total flirt?" she snapped. "Because it doesn't work on me"

He pursed his lips and his green eyes glinted something more intense. "Exactly" he said, leaving Bella more confused with him.

Bella pursed her lips. She leaned back on her chair then crossed her arms over her chest. Edward arched a brow at her. "What?" he asked.

"I can't figure you out, Edward" she admitted, shaking her head slowly.

"Just give it more time" he advised, teasing.

She blushed.

0*0*0

**Here's a preview of the next chapter:**

_She felt blood rush to her cheeks in embarrassment. She let her now-wet curtain of hair block her face from view. But someone put an index finger under chin and tilted her head up so she was looking at a very handsome young man._

_He gave her a cute grin then disappeared behind his camera and began taking pictures of a soaked supermodel._

_Then she heard a tiny splash beside her and someone grabbed her by the elbow. She gasped when the man grinned at her in amusement. "Is this good, Johann?" he asked._

_Johann chuckled then began snapping pictures of the funny couple. "it's perfect" the photographer commented then continued with his picture-taking._

**A ****review**** is much appreciated. =]**


	7. Modeling Under the Sun

6.

The next day, Bella was busy drying her hair with her favorite pink towel when Zoe popped her head through the bathroom door and said, "Your phone's ringing."

Bella went out of the bathroom then approached her cell on her bedside table. She clicked the answer button then pressed her phone to her ear. Alice was calling. "Hey, Al"

"Bella, I miss you terribly!" her best friend groaned like a five-year-old.

Bella let out a laugh. "I miss you too" she said. "How are you doing up there?"

"Ugh. I'm annoyed right now because Melissa keeps bringing the _wrong_ thing whenever I ask her for something. One time, I asked her for pinking sheers—and she brought me a _cutter_!"

Bella arched a brow. "Melissa Reed is working for you now?" she asked.

"Trust me, Bella, _not_ my idea" Alice huffed. "My assistant's, actually"

"Aww, I feel bad for you" Bella teased. "I hope the fashion show goes well."

"Thanks. And good luck on your modeling, you're going to be awesome!"

Bella bit her lip. "Um, about that…" then she began telling her best friend about her encounter with a certain Monique Sanderson and her unfortunate pairing with Edward Cullen. She got annoyed when her best friend squealed at the last part.

"Ohmigod, this just proves you guys are meant for each other!"

"No, it doesn't" Bella argued, blushing helplessly.

"Yes, it does"

"You're wrong"

"Bella Swan, are you _really_ trying to pick an argument against me?" Alice teased.

Bella snorted in defeat. "Couldn't hurt" she admitted. Just then, Zoe tapped on the bedside table. Bella looked up at her roommate.

"We need to go down for breakfast" Zoe mouthed. Bella nodded and held up a finger to indicate "just a second."

"Gotta go, Al" said Bella. "Talk to you later"

"Oh, okay, Bella" Alice sounded like she didn't want the conversation to stop just yet. "Bye"

"Bye" then Bella hung up.

0*0*0

_Breakfast Buffet_

"Your best friend's pretty eccentric" Zoe laughed when Bella finished describing Alice. "I bet she's fun to be with."

"She is" Bella laughed. "But she tends to be too much sometimes. Believe me, not at all well."

"Hmm, Alice pretty much reminds me of my sister" Zoe said thoughtfully as she grabbed a clean plate from the marble table. "My sister Mandy can be too much, too"

Bella grabbed her own clean plate then grinned at Zoe. "Really..? What's she usually like?"

"She's like my alarm clock back home" Zoe said, amused. "She would always wake me up with her whining."

"Whining?"

"She has a hard time choosing outfits for school" Zoe informed. "She has a fetish for clothes"

"That explains the connection between her and Alice, then" Bella laughed. After getting food from the buffet, they sat at a table near the large windows that showed the beach.

A few minutes passed and Bella saw Christopher coming towards their table with a plate full of food. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Edward glancing at her—or at Christopher. She couldn't tell.

But his ogling didn't last long. As soon as he realized Bella was staring back, he broke away the contact between their eyes then pretended to listen to whatever Tanya was saying. Bella felt uneasy when she saw that he was always with the NYC Modeling president. She was growing more and more curious by the minute.

She would not admit she was jealous.

Because she WASN'T jealous

"I'm going to grab some more food. Be right back" Zoe huffed then stood up from her seat.

"Hey, Bella," Christopher said cheerily as he took a seat beside Bella.

She let out a blush when she realized she was staring for a moment at Edward. "Oh. Hey, Chris" she said.

"Excited for your first day of shooting?" he grinned genuinely, making her mesmerized for a second.

"Um, I'm nervous, actually" Bella admitted as she broke a piece of croissant in two. She slowly chewed one half of it to contain her nervousness. "You're lucky you're just one of the supervising crew."

"I am, aren't I?" he laughed as he stabbed a sausage with his fork. He took a bite then said, "I heard you and Cullen got paired up."

She groaned. "Again" she corrected. Chris arched a brow in amusement.

"You're not happy with that arrangement?" he asked. "Cause I can gladly—"

Bella let out a laugh. "No thanks, Chris. I'm fine with the pairing" she said.

He pursed his lips then gave her this weird look so intense it reminded her of Edward's similar one. "So you two are pretty much comfortable with each other?"

"Not really" she admitted, taking another piece of her croissant into her mouth. "But I'd rather act professionally and _go with the flow_."

He let out another laugh. "Wow. I'm guessing you haven't changed that much, huh?"

Bella laughed back then playfully smacked him in the arm. Chris rubbed his arm and pretended to look hurt from the impact.

"I'm back" Zoe sighed, sliding back into her seat. Bella rotated so she was facing her roommate once again—and not Chris. She felt Chris do the same. Zoe's head snapped up when she realized someone else was at their table. "Oh."

Chris grinned at her then stretched out a hand. "Chris Adams, an old college friend of Bella" he said politely. Zoe politely shook hands then immediately retracted her arm to grab a fork.

"An old college friend..?" Zoe slyly looked at Bella. "Did he coincidentally meet up with you here, Bella?"

"Nope" said Bella. "He's going to be working as part of the supervising crew for the shooting."

Zoe looked at Chris, shrugged, and then started eating her food. "Nice to meet you, I guess."

Bella peered up at Chris then laughed. Chris laughed back.

0*0*0

"All done, Miss Swan" the makeup artist told Bella. Bella smiled her thanks then went out of the tent and braved out the hot weather. She grabbed a handful of her dress and slowly dipped her feet on the cool sea water. The first photo shoot was going to be at the Oceanside—near the rocks. And her clothing was just a simple white tube-top ankle-length summer dress. On her head perched a floppy beach hat. That had intricate embroideries by the brim.

Just as she was just a few feet away from the stationed cameras, she saw Edward sitting on a large boulder wearing a loose white button-down with khaki pants—its cuffs intentionally folded up to his ankles. He was looking far away, his eyes squinting at the horizon. Bella felt herself blush when she realized he looked better-looking with his messy bronze hair swooshing in time with the cool sea breeze.

She gasped when Edward noticed her staring and he smirked at her, amused. Surprisingly, he motioned her to come towards him. Bella scowled. What was he planning now?

Even though she didn't want to face another tease-Bella moment with him, she found herself trudging through the ankle-deep water. "What is it?" she asked when she got to him.

Edward flawlessly got down from the boulder, patted off dirt from his pants, and then grinned at her. "What, can't a guy call out to his partner just to hang out for awhile?"

Bella pursed her lips then said nothing.

"Swan and Cullen, you guys are up!" a girl with a megaphone said from afar. Bella turned around then began walking through the water back to where the cameras were. She heard a splash behind. Edward.

…

When they both arrived, Johann Crest smiled then gestured them to take their places. And their places were by a small boulder. Edward was instructed to trap Bella with his arms onto the rock. Bella blushed at that.

"Okay, guys, let's start" Johann announced.

Bella pressed her back onto the rock then Edward leaned closer, his arms stretched out on both sides of her.

"Look intently at Edward, Bella" Johann instructed. Bella bit her lip then looked up at Edward. It surprised her that his gaze was already intense. He was good at that.

After a few shots of that, they were then told to lean their faces towards each other. "As if you guys are going to kiss," Johann said.

Edward chuckled then whispered, so that Bella was the only who can hear him, "did he just say 'as if'? We've already kissed before."

Bella scowled and blushed at the same time. Gently, she put a hand behind his neck and pulled his face closer. Their lips were just an inch apart, making them feel each of their breaths. Bella was slowly getting dizzy because of his sweet scent. The camera snapped photos of them in the position.

When Johann told them to let go of each other, Bella pushed Edward a little bit harder than necessary. But instead of him taking a few steps from the impact, it was Bella who did. And since she was such a klutz most of the time, she managed to fall bum-first on the shallow seawater. Water splashed around her, getting her wet.

She felt blood rush to her cheeks in embarrassment. She let her now-wet curtain of hair block her face from view. But someone put an index finger under chin and tilted her head up so she was looking at a very handsome young man. Johann.

He gave her a cute grin then disappeared behind his camera and began taking pictures of a soaked supermodel.

Then she heard a tiny splash beside her and someone grabbed her by the elbow. She gasped when the man grinned at her in amusement. "Is this good, Johann?" he asked.

Johann chuckled then began snapping pictures of the funny couple. "It's perfect" the photographer commented then continued with his picture-taking.

"This is your entire fault, Edward" Bella hissed.

"My fault? You were the one who pushed me" Edward countered, amused that she would blame him for something _she_ did.

"But you were the one who didn't bother stagger back a little" Bella countered back. She knew she was making a stupid and senseless argument—but wanted to tell Edward off for something… anything.

"That's one weird counter-argument, Bella" smirked Edward. Bella blushed then smacked him on the chest. She wrenched her elbow from his grip then began walking back to the white-sand.

Due to her bad luck, a strong wind came, making her shiver in her drenched hair and clothes. She automatically considered Chris her lifesaver when he ran up to her with a towel. "You alright?" he asked.

"Not really" she admitted, patting her head dry. "Stupid klutz genes"

Chris laughed then playfully messed up her hair. "Don't diss the genes, Bella. Klutziness is one of your charms."

"Gee, thanks" she completely annoyed herself whenever she would always end up with sarcasm. It was a hard habit to break.

"No problem," he grinned. Then he offered, "Do you want me to walk you back to the hotel?"

Bella shook her head no. "It's okay. I can go by myself."

Chris's face fell a little in disappointment but he later perked up. "See you at lunch then" he said then turned away.

Another gust of wind passed by, and this managed to get Bella let out a sneeze. She groaned then began sauntering back to the hotel.

0*0*0

**This is a preview of the next chapter:**

"_Hey, let go of me!" Bella hissed at him but he ignored her protest. She was getting embarrassed because everyone in the buffet hall turned to look at her and Edward._

"_I'm going to bring her to her room" Edward said to Chris and Zoe. Zoe nodded but Chris wouldn't budge._

_Chris stood up then said, "No, I'll bring her instead."_

"_I've already got her, so no thanks" Edward countered then turned away with Bella._

**Yey, another chapter's finished! I'm so fast recently. Ha-ha.**

**A ****review**** is much appreciated.**

**Happy Holidays everyone!**


	8. Getting Sick

7.

_10:05; Hotel Room_

"Ugh," Bella let out a groan as she stuck out a hand to grab the remote on her bedside table. She was under her comforter, trying to escape the cold air. She suddenly felt tired after the Oceanside shooting and was seriously in need of a rest. Without poking her head out of the comforter, she pressed the OFF button on the remote. She heard the _zip_ sound of the TV turning off and so she immediately began to drift to sleep.

Two hours later, she felt someone nudge her awake. She pulled down the comforter from her head and saw Zoe arching a brow at her. "Bella, you've been here all this time?" she asked her.

"I felt tired" Bella admitted.

"Well, we better get down to the buffet hall," Zoe said. "Lunch's about to be served"

Bella let out a cough then rolled off the bed. She shivered from the cold air contacting with her skin and immediately grabbed her jacket. Zoe arched a brow at her in curiosity but said nothing.

0*0*0

"You go on ahead," Bella said to Zoe. "I need to go to the bathroom first."

"Okay" Zoe said, shrugging. "I'll save us a table then."

"Thanks" Bella said then disappeared into the lobby bathroom. She looked at herself in the mirror and noticed her face had gone sallow and translucent. She looked terrible—and she felt terrible, too. Slowly, she dabbed liquid soap onto her hands and began forming lather.

Just then, Tanya Denali emerged from the door, looking gorgeous in a simple black A-line dress and ballet flats. She jumped in surprise when she realized she wasn't the first one in the bathroom. "Oh. Didn't see you there" she said.

Bella looked up from her foamy hands and let out a faint smile at Tanya.

Tanya pursed her lips then began to think. "Aren't you Bella Swan?" she pondered.

"I am" said Bella, a little tiredly.

"I'm disappointed that I only managed to talk to you only now" Tanya laughed. "I've been meaning to for awhile."

Bella blushed. "And why is that?"

Tanya laughed. "Because of Edward. He told me about your first… meeting."

Bella blushed even more. "H-he did" she said, not meaning it as a question.

"Don't be embarrassed. It was only for work after all" said Tanya, amused at Bella's reaction.

Bella nodded curtly and bit her bottom lip. Tanya laughed once more.

"Well, it was nice talking to you, Bella" said Tanya. "I hope we'll be able to talk more in the future."

"The same"

Then Tanya Denali left. Bella sneezed when cool air surrounded her. She felt a little worse now.

0*0*0

"What took you so long?" Zoe asked when Bella sat down on their table; a plate filled with roast chicken, peas, and mashed potatoes in hand.

"Bumped into someone inside" said Bella plainly then began to dig into her food. She let out another sneeze—and then a cough.

"Are you alright? You suddenly seem… off" Zoe furrowed her brows in confusion and concern.

"To tell you the truth, I'm not" Bella admitted. "But I'm going to be fine."

"Don't strain yourself today then" advised her roommate then returned to eating. "We wouldn't want you to unexpectedly faint or something."

Bella pursed her lips then said nothing. And that was when Christopher joined them in their table. "Hey, Bella. How are you feeling?"

"I'm f—" but before she could say she was alright, Zoe cut her off.

"She's kind of sick" said Zoe bluntly. _Gee, thanks a lot, Zoe_, Bella groaned in her mind.

Chris pressed his palm on Bella's forehead then said sternly, "you better rest in your room, Bells."

Bella couldn't help but groan. Chris and Zoe were being annoying. She insisted she was fine but both of them wouldn't budge. "Guys, really, I'm _fine_."

"Don't be hard-headed, Bells" Chris said, stretching out a hand—as if getting ready to catch her when she faints… _if_ she faints.

Bella groaned then stood up with her now empty plate. "I'm going to get some more food—an act people do when they're _fine_." Then she turned around.

And just as she was about a few feet away from her friends, her vision got blurry and she felt herself falling face-first on the carpeted floor. She waited to feel her fall, but a strong arm gripped her waist, preventing the accident. She blinked a couple of times then saw the face of her savior. It was Edward Cullen.

Without a word, Edward put the plate on a table then fixated his arms so they were both holding onto Bella. One of his hands pulled back a lock of her hair from her face. "Are you alright?" he asked.

Bella nodded curtly. But this didn't seem to satisfy Edward since he suddenly lifted her into a Lovers' Carry.

"Hey, let go of me!" Bella hissed at him but he ignored her protest. She was getting embarrassed because everyone in the buffet hall turned to look at her and Edward.

"I'm going to bring her to her room" Edward said to Chris and Zoe. Zoe nodded but Chris wouldn't budge.

Chris stood up then said, "No, I'll bring her instead."

"I've already got her, so no thanks" Edward countered then turned away with Bella.

When they were out of the buffet hall, Bella snapped. "Can you put me down _now_?!"

"Not a chance" Edward argued. "You're sick and you shouldn't tire yourself. By the way, how _did_ you get sick all of a sudden?"

Bella humph-d then pressed her head to his chest. "It was probably because I fell in the water and didn't dry myself as fast as I could."

"Weak immune system much?" he teased when they got inside an elevator. He pressed the number ten—they were all on the same floor—then the double-doors closed.

"Whatever" Bella mumbled then closed her eyes.

…

"Bella," a smooth voice whispered in her ear. Bella groaned then slowly opened her eyes to realize she was still in Edward's arms.

"What?" she asked.

"Do you have your room key?" he asked.

She began to feel inside her pockets then blushed. She suddenly remembered she didn't bring hers because she and Zoe went down together. "Uh, no"

Edward sighed then began to walk again. Bella arched a brow.

"Where are you taking me?" she questioned.

"To my room" he said simply. "I can't let you rest in the corridors."

"Your room?" she suddenly felt herself blush.

"Yes, my room" he said, amused.

…

When they stopped in front of Room 225, Edward _finally_ let Bella down to dig for his key in his pocket. He pulled it out then inserted it in the keyhole. He rotated it a little then they both heard the almost audible click of the door. He opened the door and he gestured Bella to come inside.

She got surprised when she saw that the room was clean—and sweet-smelling. It was Edward's cologne. "You sleep here alone?" she asked when she noticed there was only one bed.

"It's a perk" he grinned. Bella slowly slid under the covers then sighed. She opened one eye out because she suddenly was curious again.

"A perk because..?"

"Because I'm close with Tanya Denali" he shrugged. This made Bella's stomach lurch uneasily. "You see, life's more fun when you have connections."

Bella rolled her eyes. Then she let out a cough. Edward sat on the bed beside her then pressed his smooth hand on her forehead—just like what Chris did earlier. "You're really hot" he commented.

Bella smirked at the double-meaning. "And what do you mean by that?" she challenged.

He smirked. "I meant by your temperature" he said. "But it could either mean as a compliment, too, if you want."

She narrowed her eyes at him then playfully smacked his arm. "Ha-ha."

"Okay, Sleeping Beauty, get some rest" he said in mock-indignation. "Or else you won't be able to take part in the photo shoot tomorrow."

"Yes, sir" she joked then closed her eyes. She felt the mattress rise when Edward stood up. She heard his shoes thumping on the carpet. She opened one eye and felt the blood rush to her cheeks when she saw him take off his shirt. Good thing his back was to her, because she couldn't handle his teasing anymore—especially since she was sick and wasn't entirely in the mood.

Thank goodness he disappeared into the bathroom. Bella slapped both her cheeks to snap herself out of it. She groaned then exasperatedly hid herself under the comforter and waited till she fell asleep.

…

A few hours later, she emerged from under the covers and realized that it was already four in the afternoon—according to the clock on the bedside table. She put a hand on her neck and sighed in relief when she noticed her temperature was somewhat cooler… although she still felt a little dizzy.

The room was dark since the thick wool curtains were drawn and Bella could barely see anything with her still blurry vision. She blinked a few times and her vision got a little better.

She rolled off the bed and accidentally did it too hard. She landed on the carpet face-first with a thump. And just her luck, Edward emerged from outside and saw her fixing her top. She blushed then mustered up her best scowl.

Edward turned on the lights then smirked. "Finally awake, I see" he said. Then he looked at her head. "Nice hair"

Bella scowled more then swiftly ran a hand through her messy brown hair. "Shut up" she said. "You're lucky I'm not in the mood to retort"

"It wouldn't make any difference" he said. Ugh. _Touché_

"Gee, thanks for letting me stay here, but I have to go" she said, making her way past him.

But he blocked her path. "You can't go now" he said. Bella looked up at her confusedly. He smirked. "People will think we did something—the corridors are flooding with staff members and other guests."

Bella blushed. "But we didn't do anything so it's fine" she countered.

"The paparazzi are also out there" he added. Bella winced. She knew how truth-stretching the paparazzi could get with their stories.

Then a thought struck her. Edward was possibly just making it up. So she rolled her eyes at him. "Thanks, but I'll take my chances _if_ there are paparazzi out there" she said then began to turn the knob.

Edward shrugged. "Suit yourself. You're the one who's going to find the consequence uncomforting anyway."

This made Bella stop. She stood on the tips of her toes then peered out the peephole. She groaned when she saw that Edward was right.

_Dammit,_ she cussed in her head.

She heard him chuckle behind her. "Still going to take your chances?" he asked, amused.

She scowled at him then trudged back to the bed. She sat there cross-legged then glared at him. "I hate it when you turn things around against me" she mumbled.

He chuckled then said nothing. He was simply enjoying it too much to make it even better.

0*0*0

**This is a preview of the next chapter:**

_He pushed some of her hair away from her face then looked deeply into her eyes. Bella bit her bottom lip then silently tried to assess what was happening._

_He put both his hands on her cheeks then leaned closer. "Bella, I think I'm in love with you" he breathed, catching Bella off guard._

**Ha-ha. Who do you think it is? Is the answer obvious or not? Hmmm……**

**A ****review**** is much appreciated.**

**A/N**

**Hey guys! i just posted my first poll. Why not give it a chance?**


	9. Confession

8.

_A week later…_

"Man, I feel so tired" Bella whined as she one by one took out the bobby pins in her hair in front of the bathroom mirror.

"You're not the only one," said Zoe. She was rubbing foam wash onto her face, trying to take off her heavy makeup from the latest photo shoot. It was taken by the beach walk, just a little bit over four in the afternoon. "I got sick of holding onto Louise so long."

Bella sighed then carefully slipped out of her flowing evening dress. She replaced it with her very own pink shirt and khaki shorts. Then she pulled her hair into a messy bun and she was set for dinner.

Zoe, on the other hand, put on a long-sleeved slouch fleece tunic and white capris. She tied her red hair into a side ponytail then dabbed a bit of gloss on her lips. Bella didn't like putting makeup onto her face—just when it was necessary. And she didn't consider dinner as being one of the necessitated occasions.

0*0*0

_Buffet Hall_

"Cool, it's Seafood Special tonight" Zoe made an act of licking her lips when she said this. Bella recently found out her roommate had a knack for anything sea-related.

"You go first" offered Bella, seeing that her friend was slowly approaching the buffet tables. "I'll get us a table"

"Sure" said Zoe. Then she disappeared. Bella let out a laugh then sat on a table near the windows again.

Unsurprisingly, Chris took a seat beside her. "You're not gonna eat?" he asked.

"I'm waiting for Zoe to finish her roaming around the buffet" Bella smirked.

"Oh" he said. Then he pushed his plate a little towards her. "Why don't you get some squid rings while you wait?"

Bella playfully punched his arm then took one squid ring from his plate. "Thanks."

"Hey, you're always welcome to get some of my squid rings" he joked, poking her lightly on the forehead.

"I know" Bella rolled her eyes playfully then nudged him again on the arm. "I mean, what are friends for, right?"

Weirdly enough, he grew silent for a moment. He pursed his lips before finally replying with, "Yeah. Friends"

"Chris," Bella said in mock-indignation. She was finding it hard not to laugh. "Don't weird out on me now."

He laughed then messed her hair a little. "I won't, I promise" he said.

"Good" she smirked then took another squid ring from his plate.

They were busy talking about insignificant things when one of the people from the supervising crew approached them. "Yo, dude, got a sec?" it was a guy with spiky blonde hair and navy eyes. He was wearing a simple tee under his denim jacket and a pair of torn jeans. He didn't look like one of the supervising crew. Chris didn't look like one either. They looked like teenagers working as interns.

"Sure" said Chris, standing up from his chair. He looked at Bella over his shoulder then said, "Be right back."

Bella smiled then waved at him to go already.

"Was that Chris?" Zoe asked, plopping on the seat across from Bella.

"Yeah" Bella replied, standing up. It was her turn to grab something to eat now.

0*0*0

_The next day_

It was finally a shoot-free day, and Bella was going to be able to explore the area. She slipped on a black and pink layered tank and dirty green shorts. She grabbed her favorite pink cap from her duffle bag then went out of the hotel without the sleeping Zoe noticing.

The sun's rays shone over her warmly and the cool sea breeze made it a lot better. She put on her cap then began her strolling. She was going to the beach walk first, where she planned to buy Alice a souvenir. So she went to the nearest clothes store and purchased a cute maroon leather jacket with a matching necklace made of wood beads and whatnot. She bought herself a cute tank that said CALIFORNIA BABE and a pair of beach shorts with pink flower patterns.

As she continued strolling, she passed by a quaint soda shop and decided to buy cold glass of chocolate milk shake. She went inside the shop and saw that it was still half-empty since it was much too early for a snack. She approached the guy behind the counter and stated her order.

"One chocolate milkshake" the guy repeated to his staff. Then he turned to Bella once again with a smile. "That'll be two dollars, ma'am."

Bella grabbed two crumpled one-dollars from her pocket and gave it to the guy with an equally wide smile. "Here ya go" she said.

A minute later, the guy handed her drink. "And here _you_ go, ma'am" he said.

Bella took it then sipped a little before turning away. "Thank you" she said.

The wind chimes sounded when she left the shop, a sign that the cool sea breeze still had not left. Her next destination was the beach. She wanted to just walk around the white crisp sand barefooted. It had been a long, long time since she had just enjoyed the seawater. She shuddered when she remembered the mishap—before she got sick. This certain memory made her blush. She remembered having no choice but to sleep in Edward's room, because she stupidly forgot her room key. It annoyed her that she still imagined the sweet scent of him, a smell which helped her in sleeping soundly. And of course she remembered accidentally seeing him taking his shirt off… _Ah, shut up Bella!_

As she neared a trash can, she threw away her empty cup and approached the beach. There were a lot of people there, lounging under the sun. She fixed her cap on her head then took off her flip-flops. She bent down to grab them then started to walk around. When she was just a few feet away from the cascading waves, she sat on a cool spot and admired it.

A few minutes later, she let out a yawn then began scanning around the beach front. Her eyes widened when she noticed that Christopher was standing from afar, surrounded by his co-workers in the supervising crew. Bella smirked when she also noticed girls checking him out. She was used to seeing that kind of scene. Chris was beyond good-looking and she felt lucky enough to be his friend.

When Chris turned to her direction, she immediately jerked her head away. But it was too late. He had noticed her. Soon enough, she heard the padding of feet on the sand, approaching her. "Hey, Bells," he said as he sat beside her. "Alone today..?"

Bella nudged his arm with her shoulder playfully and looked up at him. "Why did you approach me? The girls will glare at me for sure," she teased.

Chris looked behind his shoulder then let out a laugh. "You seriously think they were looking at me?" he asked, amused.

"Now they aren't" said Bella, sighing. "They're _glaring_—and at _me_ because you're here."

"They're just jealous," he said. "Of course, who wouldn't of a supermodel, right?"

Bella blushed and shook her head. "I don't know what you're talking about" she said.

"Are you saying you don't think of yourself as pretty?" he asked, flabbergasted. "A supermodel who thinks she's not pretty—that's weird."

Bella groaned then smacked his arm. "You're teasing me again" she accused, giggling.

He let out a laugh then good-naturedly kissed her on the cheek. "Aww, Bella-Rina's mad at me"

Bella blushed then smacked him again on the arm. What was _that_ about? Why did he kiss her on the cheek? He _never_ did that before.

"No, seriously," he grinned. "Why are you all alone out here?"

She shrugged then hugged her knees to her chest. "I just wanted to relax. The past week's been hectic—well, kind of"

He pursed his lips and stayed silent for a second. Surprisingly, he stood up then stretched out an arm to her. Bella looked up and arched a brow. He laughed. "I'll show you something" he said simply.

Bella bit her bottom lip then finally took his hand. He helped her stand up then she followed him towards the rocks.

…

A few minutes later, they arrived at the bottom of a cliff. The shore where it sat had a tiny hole which served as an entrance to a cave. Chris let go of her hand then approached the water. "When did you discover this?" asked Bella when she followed him and dipper her feet into the knee-deep water.

Chris laughed. "The first day of the shooting" he explained. "I got bored of supervising so I roamed around the beach."

Bella was about to say something when she slipped on a slimy moss-covered part on the stones underwater. She accidentally brought Chris with her when she made a grab for the end of his shirt. She ended up drenched in water up just below her chest. Chris, on the other hand, only got wet just above his waist. Bella blushed in embarrassment and covered her face in her hands. "God, I'm such a klutz!"

Chris let out a laugh. "That was fun," he said. Bella scowled then prepared to smack him in the arm. But he grabbed her hand and prevented the impact.

He pushed some of her hair away from her face then looked deeply into her eyes. Bella bit her bottom lip then silently tried to assess what was happening.

He put both his hands on her cheeks then leaned closer. "Bella, I think I'm in love with you" he breathed, catching Bella off guard.

"_w-what?_" she asked, her stomach lurching inside her.

"I've been hiding it all these years, Bella," he continued. "But I can't hide it any longer. I had to tell you…"

"You're _in love_ with me?" she asked, ignoring his explanation. She didn't seem to comprehend that.

Chris groaned then leaned back, his hands moving away from her face. "Do you honestly don't see yourself?" he questioned.

"I'm sorry, Chris," Bella said, shaking her head. "I just… I don't understand."

"What, you don't understand your feelings for me yet?" he asked, arching a brow, as if this was just an ordinary conversation. Then he put a hand again on her cheek, leaning closer.

Bella hitched a breath when his nose was nearly touching hers. And she couldn't even begin with thinking about their lips… their lips…

Chris brought his lips to hers gently—and Bella let him. She closed her eyes and breathed in his scent: peppermint. It was different from Edward's sweet, almost sugary, scent. She blushed when she remembered Edward's out-of-control kiss then pulled back. She instantly bit her lip when she saw that she had just kissed Chris—not Edward. This mysteriously made her feel uneasy. Great…

"I… I have to go," Bella blurted out, staggering to get on her feet. Chris wordlessly helped her and let her go.

0*0*0

**This is a preview of the next chapter:**

_He trapped her, his arms being the iron bars at her sides._

_Bella looked away from his intense gaze—it was much too mesmerizing than his usual stares. "Bella," he said—his tone gravelly and hoarse._

_She put both her hands to his chest, making a barrier between them. "Don't do this," she begged. "It'll make me even more confused."_

_She saw hurt in his eyes and she instantly regretted what she said. "So I confuse you?" he asked. Then he shook his head and pulled back. "I shouldn't have done that" he said, mostly to himself, then turned away._

***sniff, sniff* who could it be..?**

**A ****review**** is much appreciated.**


	10. Need to Think Things Through

**Okay. I'm going to try something new with this chapter. I'm going to have different perspectives here… just so that you can see what could possible happen in the next installment. Hope you guys enjoy.**

9.

Bella shut the room door behind her, making Zoe jump in surprise. "Oh, hey, Bella" she said. "Where'd you go?"

"The beach," said Bella, looking a little disoriented. Her roommate took notice.

"What's… wrong?" she asked her, putting the remote down to listen.

Bella shook her head. "n-nothing's wrong," she lied.

"Even though we've, like, known each other for just a short time, I can see that you're lying," Zoe implied. "So, spill."

Bella sighed then sat on her bed, crossing her legs in an Indian seat position. "I'm mega confused" she groaned.

"About what..?"

"About how I feel," Bella felt embarrassed when she said that. She wasn't used to spilling her guts to another girl. She only did that with Alice—and she wasn't here.

Zoe smirked. "Towards Edward?" she asked. "Or Chris"

Bella put up two fingers. "Guy number two" she said.

This surprised Zoe. Did she really think it was Edward? "Oh. So it's about Chris? Well, what did he do that made you," she made two quotations with her hands, "_mega confused_"

Bella bit her lip. "He told me he's _in love_ with me," she said, making her roommate widen her eyes in shock. But Bella knew it wasn't the most shocking part. "And then he kissed me."

Zoe put a hand on her heart then said, "Whoa. He _did_ that??"

Bella nodded, embarrassed still. "Now I don't know how I'll face him later."

"That's simple, Bella," said Zoe matter-of-factly. "Just stay sane and he won't know that it bothered you. Works every time"

"Really..?" Bella asked.

"Really" her roommate looked at her meaningfully, assuring her. "This way, you can sort out what you're feeling between the two."

It was Bella's turn to gape. "_Between_ the two?!" she asked.

Zoe scoffed then grinned at her. "You seriously thought I wouldn't notice you have a thing for Edward Cullen? please"

"But I don't" Bella denied.

"Bella, it's okay to admit that you have a liking to mister Greek god," her roommate roller her eyes. "And, I admit that I _did_ know that you slept in his room when you got a little under-the-weather a few days ago."

"You saw that coming?" Bella asked. "Then you should have given me your key!"

"But Bella, that wouldn't be fun," Zoe pouted.

Bella blushed. She couldn't believe this… she _really_ couldn't.

0*0*0

**Monique Sanderson POV**

Monique couldn't believe what she just heard. She was downright happy now; positive she was going to have a chance again with Edward. Deviously, she strutted through the hallway, twirling a lock of her pale-blond hair around one perfectly manicured finger. She slowly rotated so she was facing her own room door and opened it with her key.

Her roommate/bestie Abigail Monroe was busy checking herself out in the full-length mirror, preparing for a day-out. Monique slammed a hand on the mirror, making Abigail jump. "Stop the outfit-checking; we've got some work to do." She ordered, her mouth curving into a glossy grin.

"What is it?" Abigail widened her eyes in excitement and pouted. Monique absolutely thought her friend was trying too hard—but she couldn't afford to spat at her now when she needed help.

"I got some dish on Bella Swan," Monique announced confidently. "And I want you to help me make Edward know what it is."

"And what's the dish?" Abigail arched a brow.

"Bella got confessed to," Monique said smugly. "And we're going to spread it as if they're already _together_."

"Who's the guy?"

"Christopher Adams" Monique replied.

Abigail gasped. This was good since she knew who he was. "Oh. You mean the hot blond guy who works as one of the supervising crew? No way..!"

"Ah, so he's hot..?" Monique wagged her eyebrows up and down. "_Oh_mi_god_—even _better.._!"

"Edward's so going to be jealous," Abigail grinned. "He'll have to come to you."

Monique giggled and high five-d her friend. "Isn't that the point?"

0*0*0

**Edward Cullen POV**

Edward was on his way to his room when he heard giggles behind him. And as soon as the laughs grew louder, he could hear what they were saying.

"No way..!" Monique gasped.

"Yes way," Abigail said pointedly. "Christopher Adams and Bella Swan are really together now! I only noticed yesterday when I caught them making out in front of her room."

"Oh. That's so predictable between friends," Monique said. "I heard they were pretty close in college."

"Ah, they're so meant to be together, right?" Abigail giggled.

"So, _so _meant to be..!" Monique gushed then they dissolved into fits of giggles. "I can't wait to tell everyone."

As soon as they passed, Edward widened his eyes. He gripped his cell in his hand tighter than necessary. Hurt flooded through him. Could the girls be right? Bella and Chris were together..?

He let out a groan then tousled his hair. "_Crap_," he mumbled then went inside his room, loudly slamming his door shut.

0*0*0

**Bella Swan POV**

It was lunchtime, and Bella and Zoe were on their way to the lobby when they bumped into Chris and the spiky blonde-haired guy.

Bella avoided Chris's gaze and let Zoe do the talking. "Oh, hey, guys" she said. "Coming to eat, too?"

"Yup," Spiky said. "Then Chris and I are going to head for some more sun and surf."

"Cool," Zoe grinned. "Um, what's your name?"

"Justin," he said. "And you must be Zoe Newman."

"You know me?" she asked, sounding flirty to Bella.

"It's my job to know every single model" Justin said.

"Oh" Bella could tell Zoe was disappointed.

"Why don't we head out now and skip the buffet?" Chris suddenly said. "I'm not up for gourmet right now."

"Ah, dude, you read my mind" Justin said. He turned to Bella and Zoe then said, "guess we won't be meeting with you. Later girls"

"Later" Zoe mumbled then dragged Bella inside the Buffet Hall.

"He's avoiding me," Bella stated.

"Yeah, but you're doing the same thing," Zoe pointed out. "But enough about your love life... I'm starved."

Bella let out a smile and followed her friend to the buffet.

…

After lunch, Bella headed up to the hotel room before Zoe, and found Chris leaning on the wall—waiting for her. She bit her lip and slowly approached him. "Hey," she said, startling him.

He stood up straight then mustered a grin. "Uh, hey," he said back.

"Listen," Bella started. "About this morning…"

"It's alright," Chris said, cutting her off. "I get it. You're not yet sure."

"I'm sorry," she said, feeling bad. "But I just don't know if I can think of you like that."

"Because..?" he pressed.

"I don't know," she admitted. "I just don't know."

He trapped her, his arms being the iron bars at her sides.

Bella looked away from his intense gaze—it was much too mesmerizing than his usual stares. "Bella," he said—his tone gravelly and hoarse.

She put both her hands to his chest, making a barrier between them. "Don't do this," she begged. "It'll make me even more confused."

She saw hurt in his eyes and she instantly regretted what she said. "So I confuse you?" he asked. Then he shook his head and pulled back. "I shouldn't have done that" he said, mostly to himself, then turned away.

"Chris, wait!" she cried, feeling worse.

Chris turned around and grinned—but his smile didn't reach his eyes. "Chill, Bella," he said nonchalantly. "I'm just giving you space—to think."

"But," she urged, but he already turned away. Okay. She was feeling the worst.

She didn't feel like going to the room anymore. She wanted to go out to the beach and let the breeze envelope her thoughts.

And that was what she did. She turned away then went inside an elevator and pushed LOBBY. A few minutes later, she stormed out of the elevator and ran for the beach. She needed to think. And she needed to think _fast_.

0*0*0

**This is a preview of the next chapter:**

_Bella widened her eyes in surprise. "Where did you hear that?" she asked him._

_He just shrugged and didn't answer._

"_It's not true" she said matter-of-factly._

_He arched a brow. "Why should I care anyway?" he said. "It's not like I do."_

_This made her furious—and hurt. "You jerk" she spattered at him then prepared to storm off. But he stopped her from doing so by grabbing her arm. She furiously looked down at him, but all her anger melted away when she saw his face._

_Her anger was replaced by more confusion._

**Oh-ho-ho-ho… I'm having fun now…**

**A ****review**** is much appreciated.**


	11. He's Surprisingly Listening

10.

Bella kicked off her flip-flops then sat on the white sand. She hugged her knees to her chest then began contemplating. She was definitely surprised that Chris had feelings for her—even more than a friend. And she felt bad when all she felt towards him was just like a brother.

She closed her eyes tighter and listened intently at the ocean sounds: cascading waves, crying seagulls, laughing children, chattering adults, honking cars…

"Bella?" a smooth familiar voice said, a few feet away from her. Bella immediately blinked her eyes open. _Edward_?

She turned around to find Edward standing, looking at her with his piercing green eyes. His expression was dull and blank—surprised to find her. He was wearing a slim tee and cargo shorts. And like Bella, he was barefoot. "How did you know it was me?" she asked, squinting at him.

He grinned then shrugged. "Lucky guess" he said simply then sat beside her. Bella bit her bottom lip then nervously tugged a lock of her hair behind her ear.

"You're probably wondering why I look like crap..?" she joked, putting up a cheery front.

"I was getting to that," he joked back.

She looked at him with warm eyes. "I'm jealous of you," she said.

"What, because of my natural good looks" he teased.

She scowled. He really didn't take anything seriously… _geez_. "No" she huffed. Then she softened again. "Because you don't feel confused"

"Why are you opening up to _me_?" he asked. He rolled his eyes then he lay on his back, his hands behind his head. "Why not open up to your boyfriend?"

Bella widened her eyes in surprise. "Where did you hear that?" she asked him.

He just shrugged and didn't answer.

"It's not true" she said matter-of-factly.

He arched a brow. "Why should I care anyway?" he said. "It's not like I do."

This made her furious—and hurt. "You jerk" she spattered at him then prepared to storm off. But he stopped her from doing so by grabbing her arm. She furiously looked down at him, but all her anger melted away when she saw his face.

Her anger was replaced by more confusion.

"Do you seriously think I'm going to let you walk-out on me?" he asked sarcastically.

"Who told you I had a boyfriend?" Bella asked suddenly, surprising Edward and also her. Realizing what she just did, she looked away. "Uh, never mind."

"Do _you_ have a boyfriend?" he asked.

"No," Bella rolled her eyes. "I'm not even looking for one"

"Then it was stupid of me to believe them," he said suddenly. Bella looked at him with skeptic eyes. He sighed. "I'm sorry"

She grinned at him. "Whoa. Didn't expect _that_ to come out of your mouth" she teased.

He groaned then let her go. "Ah, you're back" he said in mock disappointment. "I kind of liked the pressured you"

She arched a brow then smacked him in the arm. "You cocky little jerk" she accused him good naturedly. "I can't believe I actually opened up to you"

He arched a brow back, challenging. She blushed.

"Okay, okay," she said in mock disgruntlement. "I _am_ glad I opened up—to you, of all people"

"What are partners for" he joked, sitting up. Then he grinned wider. "You know me listening to your problem isn't free."

Bella scowled at him again. "What?" she asked. "There's a fee?"

"Hey, listening is _not_ easy" he defended himself jokingly.

She rolled her eyes.

They were busy teasing and annoying each other when something hit Bella behind her head. It was a Frisbee.

"Ow," she mumbled, rubbing the back of her head.

"You okay?" Edward asked, genuinely concerned. This was a first.

"Nah, I'm used to getting into accidents" Bella mumbled, rolling her eyes. "This is no big deal."

"I guess you're alright," he said, grinning. "You still manage to be sarcastic after a hit like that."

"Ha-ha" she said then prepared to punch him on the arm. But he unfortunately had great reflexes and caught her arm with one quick motion. He let out a laugh when he saw her surprised expression.

He leaned closer playfully, laughing a little. Bella's reaction was to lean further back. Edward leaned closer. Bella leaned back. This went on until Bella was already lying on the soft sand, with Edward on top of her.

Slowly, Bella turned her head to look at him. Edward arched a brow then grinned. He knew he was winning so he leaned closer until their noses were touching. Bella could feel his warm breath on her face, making her a little dizzy.

"Edward," she breathed. "You're teasing me again"

"It's not like you're not used to it," he countered. Bella looked deeply into his now droopy green eyes then closed hers in response.

Edward let out a faint laugh before pressing his lips to hers. Bella instantly felt tingly with the contact of their mouths. It felt different than when Chris kissed her before. She felt excited with this one. Then she realized this was her second kiss with Edward. But she wondered why she liked this one better. Maybe because this wasn't just for work...This was somehow more real than the last one. He wasn't kissing her because he had to. He was kissing her because he wanted to..? Bella wasn't sure.

Their mouths moved in synchronization, exploring. Out of impulse, Bella put her arms around his neck and pulled him closer—like that was even possible with their position. She heard him groan through their lips, making her more excited.

Unfortunately, he pulled back. Bella sat up and bit her lip nervously. She peered at him and saw that he was surprised. "You actually kissed back..?" he was uncertain of what to say.

"I guess I did" she said, a little idiotically. "I don't know what came over me"

"Should I be happy or what..?" he teased.

She blushed. She wanted to admit she was excited about the kiss… but she couldn't seem to form words. Then something had hit her—hard.

And no, it wasn't another Frisbee.

She sat up straight then looked at him. He looked back wordlessly, waiting. "Edward, I think I…"

"Bella, Bella!" But, as fate would have it, someone had come to interrupt.

Bella knew who that was—and she was surprised she could hear it in California. She turned around to find Alice waving her hand from afar, her face obscured by big shades. "Alice..?"

0*0*0

**This is a preview of the next chapter:**

_She walked through the hallways, trying to find the correct door. she didn't want to commit a mistake and embarrass herself. Now that she had realized what she truly felt, it was time to straighten things out._

_Finally, she found the right door. She knocked on it three times then waited for someone to answer._

_A few seconds later, he emerged. He was surprised to find her there, and he managed to gather himself. "B-Bella?" he stammered._

"_We need to talk" she said urgently._

**Bad news, guys. My next update's going to be on January 8 next year because I need to study for my exams. I crucially need to retain my place so I have to be serious and put off with story writing for awhile.**

**And, as a gift to me, you can up the numbers of my reviews… so REVIEW.**

**SPREAD the LOVE. Don't keep this story hidden from others! Hahahahah**

**Happy Holidays, everyone!**

_**Mahal ko kayo**_**! [I love you guys!]**


	12. Just Friends Again

11.

Bella was panting wildly.

She walked through the hallways, trying to find the correct door. She didn't want to commit a mistake and embarrass herself. Now that she had realized what she truly felt, it was time to straighten things out.

Finally, she found the right door. She knocked on it three times then waited for someone to answer.

A few seconds later, he emerged. He was surprised to find her there, and he managed to gather himself. "B-Bella?" he stammered.

"We need to talk" she said urgently.

He opened the door a bit wider, leaned casually onto the doorframe, and then waited. Bella fidgeted.

"Um, can we talk in your room?" she asked timidly. Chris shrugged then gestured her inside.

"Sure" he said nonchalantly.

Bella went inside then immediately sat on the unmade bed. She twisted her fingers together then bit her lip. "I'm sorry" she said straightforwardly. Then she looked up, to see her friend's poker-faced expression. "I can't accept your feelings. I only like you as a friend."

He put his hands in his pockets then sighed. "I got the feeling you were going to say that" he muttered.

"I'm really sorry" she repeated. She stood up from the bed then walked towards him. She put a hand on his arm then squeezed affectionately. "I hope it won't be awkward between us in the future."

He grinned. "Of course not"

…

"Hey," Zoe looked up from flipping through the pages of her magazine to greet Bella, who had just come into their room. She arched a brow at her roommate. "What's up?"

Bella plopped, on her respective bed then shook her head slowly. "Nothing"

Zoe twirled a lock of her blazing red hair then blew it from her face. "Did Edward Cullen come up?" she asked. This made Bella sit up and eye her roommate curiously.

"How'd you know that?" she asked, perplexed.

Her roommate smirked. 'Bingo!' it signaled. "I guessed so because he ran out the hotel a few moments after you did."

Bella nodded then lied back down. "Well, you guessed right. I bumped into him at the beach."

She closed her eyes then took a deep breath. She heard Zoe's magazine flip closed. "Care to narrate?" her roommate asked.

Bella, her eyes still closed, shrugged. "There's nothing to tell except I surprisingly met up with my best friend right after."

"Your best friend's here in California?" asked Zoe.

"According to her, she has an upcoming fashion show here" Bella explained, slowly opening her eyes. "... This is great because I get to see her around"

And not only did they do the usual acts of reunion. Bella told her best friend all about the shenanigans that had happened—concerning Chris and Edward. And what Alice said had been the same as what Zoe told her earlier. So it didn't help much either.

"So, have you made up your mind about Chris?" Zoe asked.

Bella sighed. "I did," she admitted. "And I told him earlier."

"Good for you then. It was the right decision, you know" Zoe said encouragingly as she rolled off her bed and onto her feet. She stretched out her hands and then walked straight for the door. "I'm going to get some fresh air. See ya later"

Bella turned her head to her roommate then said, "yeah. See ya"

…

At dinner, the models and staff members made their way down to the lobby buffet hall and enjoyed yet another night of pure cuisine leisure. Bella and Zoe were by the seafood platters, surveying the different sizes of crabs and shrimps. Bella was about to grab a juicy-looking prawn when Zoe nudged her in the arm. She looked and then followed her friend's gaze.

And it ended up in the direction of Chris and the other supervising crew members. He didn't seem to notice her. He was too preoccupied in laughing at what his friend said, while he used a pair of tongs to grab a piece of fish fillet mignon.

He only met her gaze when his friend also nudged him in the arm. The staring they had with each other was awkward. Bella was the first to look away and then preoccupied herself with scooping up seafood paella for herself.

Zoe was kind enough not to comment and just led the way to their usual table. They ate quietly, striking up random conversation now and then. But Zoe mostly felt she shouldn't talk. Bella was still trying to decide what to do with her friend Chris… the friend who confessed to her that he loved her… and the friend she turned down.

Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Edward entering the buffet hall with none other than Tanya. They were walking side by side. And they seemed to be talking about something amusing because both were smirking.

She also noticed Monique looking at Edward, giggling as she did. This made Bella wince.

Then her phone vibrated in her pocket. She pulled it out then looked at the messenger ID. Chris.

Bella bit her lip then opened the text message.

_Do you want to hang out tomorrow before your photo-shoot?_

She sighed in relief. He really wanted to try and start over—not mixing romance into it. She felt suddenly stupid for worrying that he wouldn't.

She immediately texted him back.

_Sure_

Then she slipped her phone back into her pocket and started to eat.

…

Bella was dreaming.

She was walking by the sea, barefoot, her strapped sandals in hand. She looked down at her plum toenails and curled them a little to feel the grainy-yet-sticky texture of the sand. When she looked up, she saw the most beautiful sunrise, its reflection well shown in the water. She inhaled the sea air. She was about to run toward the water and let it cool her down, when someone said, "Hey!"

She turned around to find Edward standing casually from a distance. He was grinning at her—like usual. She arched a brow. What was he going to do?

Without warning, he walked towards her and then placed a finger under her chin. She hitched a surprised breath as he slowly tilted her head so that she had a good view of his seemingly perfect face. Slowly, he pressed his lips to hers.

Edward pulled away and then smirked at her. Bella couldn't help but crack a smile. When she was about to pull a snarky remark, she gasped what came out of her mouth.

It was not her voice. Her eyes widened. She suddenly had the urge to run a hand through her brown hair. She looked at her locks then realized they weren't brown but blondish. She looked back at Edward and he laughed.

What came out of his mouth made her stomach lurch. "What's wrong with you, _Tanya_?" he chuckled.

Then the dream vanished and all Bella—or Tanya, or whatever—could see was black.

Bella opened her eyes then automatically jolted upward from her fetal position. It was a bad idea since she got a head rush.

Remembering her dream, she ran a hand through her hair and looked at the strands. She sighed in relief when she noticed it was brown. Then she said, "weird dream." she felt thrilled again knowing it was _her_ voice. Not Tanya's, _hers_

Then Zoe groaned from the bed beside her. Bella stifled a giggle then rolled off her own bed. She stretched out her arms a bit then went straight for the bathroom.

She took a quick shower, wrapped a towel around her body, and then stepped out to get changed.

She slipped on a black Michael Jackson T-shirt and a pair of white shorts. She tied her damp hair into a high ponytail and then put on a little makeup. She needed to cover-up the dark circles under her eyes.

Just as she was about to slip on her white Nike rubber shoes, Zoe yawned. "Why are you awake already?" she asked. "I usually wake up before you"

Bella looked over her shoulder and smirked at her roommate. "Yeah, well, I have something to do before the shooting."

It was Zoe's turn to smirk. "And what is that exactly?"

Bella shrugged. "Chris wanted to hang out" she said casually as she tied her last shoe laces. "Since it's cool already, I agreed."

"I'm not sure that's a good idea" Zoe said skeptically. "I mean, you only dropped the bomb on him yesterday."

Bella looked intently at Zoe then said, not missing a beat, "It's fine. If something goes wrong, I'm sure we'll get past it sooner or later."

"Suit yourself" Zoe yawned, plopping back onto her bed. "But I'm just saying my opinion."

"Thanks. I appreciate it" then Bella was out the door.

0*0*0

**This is a preview for the next chapter:**

_Bella rested her face by the arc of his neck and just simply marveled in his spicy yet sweet scent. The camera snapped continuously as they held their poses. But she couldn't seem to completely stay still, not when she was fully aware he was holding her by the waist. Since she was wearing a backless dress, his thumb was innocently touching her skin where the fabric started on her back. She felt this tingly feeling, and she wanted more._

**So terribly sorry I was late for my announced date. I lost my USB and I couldn't find another working one. Man, I'm just **_**lucky**_** to be able to update.**

**I was looking for my USB for three days and I'm really feeling hopeless.**

***dramatically dabbing a napkin at the corners of eyes* my USB and I had been through a lot. I always manage to lose it, but now it's REALLY gone!**


	13. Inevitable Confrontation?

**As an apology for a late update, I've posted TWO installments of MLA. So, enjoy!**

12.

"You made it" Chris sighed in relief when Bella emerged through the revolving doors of the hotel.

Bella laughed then smacked him in the arm. "I did promise I'd come, didn't I?" she said.

"I'm glad you're a promise-keeper" he teased. Then he put his cap on, which made Bella remember Edward.

She shook her head a little. _Shut up, Bella_!

"Ready to go?" he asked her.

She nodded and grinned. "Lead the way!"

…

It turned out that Chris wanted them to go to the pier where food and game booths were abundant. It had Bella drooling at the sight of mustard-dripped hotdogs with radish on top. It was her favorite booth food.

"Now, I know you love a good hotdog," Chris started, leading her to the hotdog stand. She could hear the sizzling of the cooking hotdogs. She could smell them too. "So I brought you here for some non-buffet breakfast."

Bella made an act of licking her lips then said, "Stop all the talking. Just buy us some hotdogs already." Chris chuckled at her longing expression and did what he was told.

He turned to the guy behind the hotdog stand and held two fingers. "Two foot-longs with your special mustard and radish topping," he said. "And two orders of orange juice."

The guy nodded his head then expertly grabbed two foot-longs from the rotating metal poles serving as a cooking pan for the food. He placed them on separate elongated plastic plates, slopped on mustard and radish toppings, and then gave it to Chris.

Chris gave one to Bella, which she accepted hungrily. This made him chuckle again.

Then the guy grabbed two plastic cups from his storage and poured in orange juice. He gave them to Chris. Chris pulled out his wallet, gave the guy a ten, and then ushered Bella to the main pier.

They sat by a white bench, where they had a killer view of the ocean and the flock of seagulls in the horizon.

"So, you like your food?" Chris asked conversationally, nudging Bella on the arm with his fist. "I tried this a few days ago and I just had to take someone with me to eat them again."

"Well, thanks for considering me" Bella grinned then took a bite of her foot-long. "It's awesome"

Chris chuckled then took a sip of his juice. He became a little serious now. "You know, it kind of sucks you turned me down yesterday…" he murmured, looking out the view.

Bella bit her lip. "Chris" she said, but he cut her off.

"It's okay" he reassured her. "I don't even care about yesterday. I'm glad you can still talk to me like before."

She nodded then took another bite. She was glad he could talk to her like before, too.

"I'm fine with that," he muttered before biting off a big portion of his foot-long. Then he looked down at his watch then groaned. "the shooting will start in an hour. We should go or you won't get prepped up in time." [A/N: there are a lot of preparations for a photo-shoot]

Bella sighed then stood up. "I guess so," she said. She crumpled up her empty paper plate, crushed her plastic cup, and then threw them into the nearest trashcan. Chris did the same, and then they both walked towards the hotel.

0*0*0

"You're good to go" the makeup artist told Bella. Since the modeling project was themed as Valentine's Day, Bella's makeup was purely inspired by all kinds of red. Her eyes were lined by smoky eye-shadows, her cheeks flush with rosy-red blush-on, and her lips glossed with bright-red lipstick.

Bella smiled her thanks then went to the costume designer for her clothes.

The designer, unlike her best friend Alice, was a tall and serious woman. She was very 'mum' almost all the time. Bella sometimes felt intimidated by her, but she couldn't afford to offend the woman… because the woman was Noelle Jacobin, one of the best in the industry. She was French with a very thick accent and her vision was so out-there.

And what she had prepared for Bella proved that. Noelle helped Bella slip on a slinky fire-engine red halter dress, which pretty much showed off her breasts. Bella felt extremely uneasy because she felt like she wasn't wearing a thing. It was also, after all, backless. Once again, she was going to be barefoot.

After being prepped up, she was led to a vacant part of the beach. And there waited Edward, clad in white button-down and white slacks. He was also going to be barefoot.

The crew was also there with whatever they needed. And from the crowd of workers, Johann yelled, "Okay, let's get started."

Bella stopped a foot away from where Edward was standing. She bit her lip then looked up at him. he grinned. She blushed.

"Where are Bella's espadrilles?" Johann shouted over his shoulder. "Where are her props?"

"It's here," Noelle said, her voice dripping with a French accent, as she gave the shoes to Bella.

"Now, Bella, hold them in one hand by the strings," Johann instructed. Bella nodded then curled her fingers around the red straps. "Good. Now face each other."

Edward slowly turned to face her and moved closer. "Edward, wrap an arm around her waist then make an act of kissing her hair."

"What, only the hair?" Edward teased but did what he was told anyway.

"You are such an ass," Bella mumbled, making him chuckle faintly. She only did this for him not to notice she was blushing like crazy.

Bella rested her face by the arc of his neck and just simply marveled in his spicy yet sweet scent. The camera snapped continuously as they held their poses. But she couldn't seem to completely stay still, not when she was fully aware he was holding her by the waist. Since she was wearing a backless dress, his thumb was innocently touching her skin where the fabric started on her back. She felt this tingly feeling, and she wanted more.

"Good," Johann said as he emerged from behind his camera. "Now would you two mind if you lean your faces closer?"

_Aw, c'mon_! Bella groaned as she slowly tilted her head up. she hitched a breath when she noticed Edward's gleaming green eyes were looking at her. he lowered his head a little, so that they looked like they were about to kiss.

Without looking like his lips were moving, he whispered to her, "You still haven't explained yourself."

Bella blushed. "W-what..?"

"At the beach," he said. "You were about to say something."

She put up a small smile then forced herself to look at him. it was the only way to get him off her back. the liars were always the ones averting the gaze, and she wasn't gonna make it obvious she was one of them. "No, I wasn't." she denied.

Edward pursed her lips then looked silently at her. he looked like he was contemplating on something. Did he think she was lying? Well, she was… but, did he notice?

"Next models please" Johann suddenly said.

Bella was the first one to turn away, but Edward simply followed her to the tent.

"Seriously, I wasn't going to say anything," Bella said, not daring to look at him. but he was persistent.

He grabbed her by the wrist and turned her around so that she was facing him. a buffet table was behind her, and she instantly felt trapped between it and Edward.

She frantically looked around. They were alone in the tent. _Crap_.

She felt more like a prisoner when he leaned closer and barred her with his arms. He looked at her, his eyes shadowy from the darkness of the tent. So his green eyes looked black. "Don't lie, Bella" he said smoothly. "I wasn't just hearing things. You were going to say something."

Bella blushed then sighed. "do you really want to know..?" she whispered. He was silent so she continued. "I was about to say that…"

She stopped and pursed her lips. Was she going to say it? she mentally shook her head.

"That I think I saw Tanya from the pier" she lied a crummy lie.

He arched a brow, obviously not believing it. "What does Tanya have to do with this?" he asked—a little exasperated.

Bella shrugged. "You tell me," she mumbled.

Then his brows practically joined in the center. He was confused. "What the heck are you talking about?"

Bella was about to say something when someone called for Edward. "Edward, you here?" the voice was as smooth as Edward's, only sounding a bit deeper.

Then a man, clad in a black business suit, peered through the flap of the tent. Edward pulled away then turned to face the man. Bella gasped when the man looked almost exactly like Edward.

His hair was also bronze-colored and messy—but it was a bit darker. The man's eyes, instead of the same color as Edward's, were electric blue. He looked a little older—maybe a twenty-five-year-old.

"What are you doing here?" Edward asked coldly. He didn't sound like the happy-go-lucky guy anymore.

The man pulled out his cell-phone from one of the pockets in his coat and then waved it casually. "I came here to talk to you" he said.

Edward rolled his eyes. "So I'm guessing you found me 'cause of Tanya, right?" he said sarcastically.

This confused Bella. What was Tanya in this scenario? The girl they were both fighting for? So it was possible Edward was angry towards the guy because he ruined his chances with her.

The man chuckled. He stopped when he noticed Bella beside Edward. "And who's this?" he asked. "Does Tanya know about her?"

"Her name's Bella," Edward said harshly. "She's my partner for the modeling project. And yes, Tanya does know."

The man smiled warmly at Bella. "Hello, nice to meet you" he said politely. "My name is Jeremiah Cullen. Edward's older _brother_"

Bella's jaw dropped at the information. Edward Cullen has a brother?

Jeremiah grinned. "It's quite obvious Edward hadn't told you yet, right?" he asked lightly. "I understand. He's pissed off at me right now"

Edward growled.

"Um, why is that?" Bella found herself asking him. Jeremiah smiled.

"I'll let him tell you himself" he said. He turned his head to Edward. "So, can we talk?"

Edward rolled his eyes then said, "whatever. Just don't expect me to listen to your ramblings."

Jeremiah grinned smugly then turned again to Bella. "If you'll excuse us, Bella" he said. The siblings walked out of the tent, leaving Bella all alone.

"Okay. What the heck just happened?" she mumbled to herself.

0*0*0

**This is a preview of the next chapter:**

"_Are you serious?!" Edward asked, laughing as he did. Bella narrowed her eyes then pursed her lips. She was blushing to the extreme, and him laughing at her didn't help one bit._

"_People can make mistakes, you know" she mumbled, crossing her arms over her chest. "you don't have to rub it in."_

_Edward's laugh faded a little then he pursed his lips. He leaned closer then gently tugged a lock of her hair behind her ear. "I'm sorry. I just can't help it."_

**Yey, ANOTHER new chapter!**

**Okay, I'm going to update again when I get ****150**** reviews! I'm expecting them, people! =**]


	14. Finding Out Leads to Confession

**So... here's chapter thirteen! I think I'm going to update... when you help me reach 180 reviews =]**

**it won't be that hard and i promise there won't be any unkept promises from now on. =))**

13.

"Is that Jeremiah Cullen?" Zoe was flabbergasted at the sight of Edward's older brother, who was apparently a hotshot businessman. The Cullen siblings were standing with Tanya Denali (of course, Bella thought) by the entrance. "I cannot believe he decided to check on the production!"

Bella took a sip of her margarita then shrugged. "I can't believe Edward has a brother" she mumbled, her lips glued to the rim of her drink. The whole team was hanging out at the hotel bar, near the buffet hall, for some well-deserved loosening-up. It had already been more than two weeks since they first arrived in sunny California, and everything was nearly done.

Zoe rotated her metal stool to look at Bella. "You didn't know?" she asked, not judgmental but genuinely curious. "His name practically pops up everywhere!"

Bella sighed then swiveled her chair around so that she could prop her hand on the bar counter. "Yeah, well, I'm not much of a prominent-figures-enthusiast"

Her friend pursed her lips, trying to hide a smile. Before she could comment, Chris took a seat beside Bella then said, "Mind if I join you ladies for some drinks?"

Zoe brought her fruit-sangria to her lips then waved at him. "We don't mind. Right, Bella?"

Bella turned to Chris then nodded. She lazily waved her drink in the air then giggled. "What's up, Chris?"

Chris shrugged then took a sip of his beer. "Nothing much" he said. After taking a drink, he wiped his mouth with the back of his hand then grinned. "How about you..?"

Bella lifted her drink a little then shrugged. "Well, I'm currently enjoying my margarita."

Her friend arched a brow. "I can see that," he joked. She laughed.

"Man, I really am stressed out" she mumbled, taking another sip of her drink. She didn't mention her reason because she knew it would make it awkward between them.

Her reason, you ask?

Edward

The music changed from jazz to blues.

"Ah, crap, the music's making me feel woozy" Zoe whined, putting down her drink. "I think I should go upstairs now."

Bella also put down her drink then groaned. "You go on ahead. I'll stay for a little while" she mumbled.

Chris leaned closer then eyed Bella suspiciously. "Are you really starting to feel wasted?" he asked, amusement dripping in his voice.

Bella rolled her eyes then made a mock-disgusted expression. She wrinkled her nose. "Jeez, Chris...Your breath smells like musty beer," she whined.

He arched a brow. "Do you want me to tell you what _yours_ smells like?" he challenged. Bella shook her head.

Then her vision began to blur a little. She blinked then shook her head again. "I think it's time for me to go" she said, almost to herself.

Chris looked worried. "Are you capable of going up alone?" he asked. Bella nodded her head then slowly slipped off the metal stool.

Her lilac long-sleeved wool dress hitched up a little mid-thigh and she made a move of pulling them back in its place. She waved goodbye to Chris then made her way to the exit.

When she got to the elevators, she pressed the UP button then waited. She didn't notice that someone was walking towards her.

"You easily get drunk, don't you?" a smooth voice teased. Bella turned to see Edward grinning at her. She narrowed her eyes, making her vision blur again.

"Why are you here?" her voice was a little raspy when she questioned him, her vision still blurry.

He was silent for second. "I saw you staggering back there," he jabbed a thumb in the direction of the bar, "and I wanted to make sure you got to your room safe."

Bella blushed then automatically looked down. "Um, thanks" she mumbled. She turned to face the elevators once again so that Edward wouldn't see her expression.

Finally, the double-doors opened and Bella and Edward stepped inside. Bella silently thanked God for the random stranger inside with them. She wasn't in the right state of mind to be alone with Edward, and she knew she would end up embarrassing herself if they were.

When they got to their designated floor, they stepped out. Bella accidentally tripped on a dented part of the rug, making Edward automatically wrap his arms around her.

"You okay, Bella?" he whispered in her ear, making her shiver and blush at the same time. She nodded curtly then stood up straight.

"Thanks" she mumbled then continued to walk through the narrow hallway. It made her feel uncomfortable knowing Edward was just behind her, making sure she didn't trip again. So she kept silent and prayed that she would get to her room as quick as possible.

When she reached her room, she turned to Edward. "Thanks for accompanying me" she said sheepishly. She prepared to get her keycard from her bag but Edward suddenly put a hand on her wrist, stopping her. She looked up and furrowed her brows.

He immediately retracted his hand from her wrist and intently looked at her. "I just want you to know I'm still not finished with you" he said seriously.

Bella blushed then turned away. She swiftly inserted her key in the keyhole on the door. The lock let out a click, signaling that the door was now open. She turned the handle then opened the door. Once she was inside, she said, not looking at him, "I know, Edward."

Then she closed the door behind her. She let out a sigh then made her way towards her bed. She immediately plopped on it, not bothering to change into sleepwear. She was damn too tired to do so.

0*0*0

_The next day_…

Bella was laying face-down on her bed, the comforter crumpled by her feet. She had been tossing and turning in her sleep, which she normally did when she got carried away with her dreams.

Last night, she had dreamt of an unidentifiable figure from a distance. It was just standing there, completely oblivious of her watching from afar. She didn't know what that meant, but it made her uneasy for some reason… hence, explaining the moving in the bed.

When Bella tried to open her eyes, all she could see were blurred things. She could barely look at her hands because of her hang-over.

She tried to remember how many drinks she consumed last night. She groaned at herself stupidly. She had consumed five margaritas.

"Mmm, Bella..?" Zoe's words were slurred. "You still there..?"

"I am," Bella slurred back, immediately putting a hand on her throbbing head. "What time is it..?"

With her eyes closed, she could hear Zoe noisily rummaging her bedside table. A few moments later, Zoe said, "It's already ten-fifteen."

"I'm hungry," Bella whined, rubbing her flat stomach.

"Ditto... do you know any place we can buy something to eat?"

Bella nodded. "Chris showed me a great hotdog stand by the pier."

"I'll take it. I'm really hungry"

Both rolled off their bed, accidentally landing faces-first on the carpet. They groaned in unison and stayed there for a moment before deciding to pull themselves up.

"If I didn't have such a bad-ass hang-over, I would've laughed until my sides hurt" Zoe groaned, rubbing her thighs.

…

Minutes later, the two managed to slip on tank tops and board shorts so they could roam the town. They slipped on their shades then braved the sunny outside-world. Bella led the way to the hotdog stand where Chris brought her yesterday. She ordered the usual then they decided to hang by the boats.

"Ohmigod, this is awesome" Zoe grinned, taking a hungry bite of her foot-long.

"I had the same reaction yesterday" Bella laughed. "I'm glad Chris let me taste it"

"I am definitely having this as much as I can," Zoe laughed. "Our time is almost up. We're going to leave by the end of next week, right?"

Bella nodded glumly. She was going to miss the fresh sea breeze slamming on her face and the sounds of the cascading waves. "I can't believe I'm going back to New York a week from now."

"And me to Seattle" Zoe groaned. Then she propped one hand on the railings and looked at Bella curiously. "Speaking of New York, are you and Edward Cullen going to work together—again—in the future?"

Bella bit her lip. She began twirling her fingers together; making it obvious she was nervous and embarrassed. "I doubt it."

"Don't be so negative" her friend countered. "Look. I know it might be wrong to eavesdrop, but I kind of overheard from the staff that you two have awesome chemistry on camera"

Bella blushed.

"And I agree. So why not turn it into reality and go out with the guy?" Zoe was blunt, but Bella knew she had a point.

But Zoe didn't know that Edward already has a girlfriend—a pretty powerful one at that. "I don't think that's possible" she mumbled.

She heard Zoe groan. "Christ," she muttered. "Is it because you _think_ there's something between him and Tanya Denali?!"

_I don't _think_, I _know, Bella said mentally. She was about to retort when she heard an alluring laugh from afar. The girls turned around to see Edward Cullen grinning amusedly at them.

Zoe smirked then slyly walked away, "I'm guessing he'll explain it to you," she whispered to Bella as she passed her.

Bella's jaw dropped. She could feel the heat rush to her cheeks. "Edward?" she gasped.

Edward ignored her outburst then walked towards her. "Let me get this straight," he said, trying to sound serious. But he ended up sounding utterly amused. Well, he actually was… and Bella wasn't sure why. "You think I'm in a relationship with Tanya?"

Bella pretended to be unperturbed… when the truth was, she was downright feeling intimidated. She pursed her lips. "Well…" she started, but Edward cut her off.

"Tanya Denali, Bella," Edward sounded like he was talking to a slow person. "Is my brother's _fiancée_"

Bella felt her jaw drop even lower than before. "f-fiancée..?" she sputtered, blinking profusely. "Are you sure?"

"Are you serious?!" Edward asked, laughing as he did. Bella narrowed her eyes then pursed her lips. She was blushing to the extreme, and he laughing at her didn't help one bit.

"People can make mistakes, you know" she mumbled, crossing her arms over her chest. "You don't have to rub it in."

Edward's laugh faded a little then he pursed his lips. He leaned closer then gently tugged a lock of her hair behind her ear. "I'm sorry. I just can't help it."

Bella looked up at him then blushed. He began to look a bit serious now.

"And here I thought Chris Adams had something to do with you refusing me," he mumbled.

"Huh?"

He shook his head. "Bella, I've been doing all kinds of things for you to like me" he explained, intensity growing in his green eyes. "Because I really like you"

"Y-you like me?" she stammered, her blushing uncontrollable now. He nodded.

Then he leaned closer, until their noses were touching. Bella impulsively opened her mouth.

He pressed his lips to hers, softly at first… then it wasn't so gentle anymore. Their mouths moved furiously in synchronization, both of them with the goal of taking in as much as they could.

Bella moaned on his lips, making him kiss her more urgently. Normally, she would've freaked out. But she couldn't find the will to pull away.

Okay, fine. She was going to admit it.

She liked Edward Cullen—a lot.

The intensity of the kiss grew, and she had to press her back onto the railings so that she wouldn't accidentally collapse.

When the kiss ended a few moments later, they were breathing hard. Edward pressed his forehead to Bella's then they both grinned.

0*0*0

**This is a preview for the next chapter:**

_She stopped dead on her tracks when she saw Edward standing in front of her apartment. He was apparently waiting for someone… for her, perhaps?_

_She felt her stomach lurch. She cleared her throat as loud as she could so that Edward would notice she was there. It worked and he instantly turned his head. He grinned his irresistible crooked grin then walked towards her. "Hey" he said, sounding pretty normal._

_Bella half-smiled then unconsciously played with the hem of her metallic gray blouse. "Um, why are you here?" she asked nervously._

_He arched a brow. Bella mentally gulped. He was onto her, and she knew it. "What, can't a guy visit his girlfriend?" he teased._

_Bella blushed at the word 'girlfriend' and she felt more rotten. "We need to talk" she blurted. Her words made his expression change from amusement to confusion._

**Sorry but there's still more to MLA. In the next chapter, they've already gone home so that explains the 'apartment' thing.**

**Well, I hope you'll keep on the lookout for the next installments! =]**


	15. Italy?

14.

Bella shoved a shirt into her suitcase then zipped it closed. She sighed then plopped on the bed. "I'm done" she muttered.

"Congrats," Zoe mumbled bitterly a feet from her. Bella turned her head to the side and saw her friend struggling with a large pile of clothes. Her suitcase wasn't cooperating. "Could you help me with this? It's getting on my freaking nerves."

Bella laughed then rolled off the bed. She helped press down the suitcase and Zoe carefully zipped it up.

They both sighed then looked around. "Dammit, I'm gonna miss this place" Zoe said. "I can't believe I'm going back to Seattle today."

"New York, here I come," Bella joked. The girls sighed then gave each other hugs.

"I'm gonna miss you too, Bella," Zoe mumbled.

"Same here" Bella sighed as she squeezed her friend tighter.

A few moments later, they heard a knock from their hotel room door. Bella peered through the peephole and instantly grinned when she saw that it was Edward. She turned the knob and the door opened.

"Hey," he grinned. "Are you guys done packing? I am."

Bella nodded. "Us too" she said, jabbing a thumb in the direction of the tidy room. When Zoe came into view, she nonchalantly waved at Edward then let herself out with her trolley.

"Where is she going?" Edward asked. Bella shrugged.

"She's probably going to say goodbye to the buffet hall" she teased. "She really loves the food."

Edward nodded then wrapped his arms around her waist. "Aren't you going to say farewell, too?"

Bella shrugged. "I already said goodbye to the bookstore near here" she joked, looking up at him with a sheepish grin.

"Didn't you say your best friend is here?" he asked casually. "When is she going home?"

"She texted me that she was leaving a week after we do" she said. "So I'm going to have the apartment to myself for awhile."

"Mind if I visit you when we get home?" he asked. "I still haven't seen your place"

"It's nothing special" she mumbled.

"Does it matter?" he teased.

"Okay, why are we drifting to a topic about my apartment?"

He laughed. "Truthfully, I didn't know what else to say" he admitted. Then he looked down at his watch. "And we only have ten minutes to spare before we go to the airport."

Bella sighed. "We better go down, then." he nodded then ushered her out the room, her suitcase in his hand. She stopped when she noticed Edward was carrying it for her. "I can carry it myself, Edward."

He shook his head. "If I do let you carry it, I would look like the most ungentlemanly guy."

"I don't mind," she pressed, reaching out her hand for her luggage. He stood grinning, not moving an inch.

"Seriously, I can take it" he joked then walked past her. Bella groaned then sauntered after him. When they reached the elevators, she noticed that there was a lone suitcase.

"It's mine" Edward said, answering her unsaid question. He pushed the DOWN button then they both waited for one of the elevators to open.

A few moments later, there was a _ping_. An elevator opened its double doors and Edward and Bella stepped inside with their things. Elevator music gradually enveloped them.

Bella stole a glance at Edward. She noticed that he was his usual cool-looking self. He was wearing a collared shirt and khakis, making him look like a totally normal guy. But he wasn't average, and Bella knew it. She knew from the start that he wasn't like the other guys she had dated in the past. He was special. Immediately, she blushed at what she was thinking. Edward took notice and looked at her curiously, one of his brows arched.

"What are you thinking?" he asked, entwining his fingers with hers. This sent electric shocks all over Bella's body. Why was he torturing her?

She shook her head then looked away. "Nothing" she mumbled, mentally slapping herself for blushing.

Edward squeezed her hand. "Tell me" he said, amusement dripping in his voice. Bella opened her mouth to speak.

But the elevator opened at that particular moment. They had arrived at the lobby already. She shook her head then took her hand away from his. She felt him stiffen when she accidentally grazed his arm as she stepped out of the elevator.

_Stupid, Bella! Just… stupid!_

Wordlessly, she took her bag from him. He didn't object. He was too busy looking at her with hurt eyes. Bella mentally slapped herself. She hadn't intended on hurting him. She just felt embarrassed. She wasn't used to this sort of relationship. Truthfully, all the guys she'd ever dated were just infatuation-wise. She never felt this uneasy before.

She was right. Edward was no ordinary guy.

…

It didn't help the situation when they were seatmates on the plane—like last time. But last time they were strangers. This time they were somehow in a so-called mutual understanding-kind of relationship. Well, he didn't know how she felt towards him—yet. As she recalled on last week's happening, she didn't tell him she liked him. So that must've made the situation worse.

The flight stewardess walked up to their aisle. "Would you want anything to drink or eat?" she asked kindly. Bella looked up and saw that the woman was actually looking at Edward. Great. The stewardess had the hots for the super-famous supermodel beside her… the super-famous supermodel who was kind of her boyfriend at the moment.

Edward slowly looked up; meeting Bella's eyes for a millisecond, then shook his head at the stewardess. "No thank you" he said politely. He returned to looking at the scenery outside the window.

"Me too" Bella said. The stewardess bowed her head then walked away.

"Psst" someone hissed from a few seats away from her. Bella looked over her shoulder and saw Chris grinning at her. "Having fun?"

She rolled her eyes. "Got nothing else to do, I see" she joked then turned away. She looked outside the window and accidentally blurted out, "ooh, a flock of birds!"

Edward turned his head to her and grinned. "How random" he joked. Then there was a glint of hurt again. "So, you finally spoke"

Bella bit her lip. "Sorry for kind of ignoring you" she apologized. She looked down when she felt so sure her face was flushed red. "I just got a little embarrassed earlier."

He took her hand in his again. "Because of what?" he asked.

"Of you" she admitted, looking up at him. Her face flushed redder when he dazzled her with his amazingly piercing green eyes.

"Me? Why?"

She bit her lip. She looked around and saw that no one was looking—or looked like they were looking. Then she leaned forward and pressed her lips to his. He stiffened at her surprise attack, but he softened a second later and kissed back.

They pulled away from each other and Edward looked at her with a dropped jaw. He was speechless.

"Because I like you, too" she mumbled so only he could hear. He grinned then began to kiss her again.

And then a model love affair started.

0*0*0

_A few days later; Maxi Modeling Studios_

"Congrats on your first major project Bella!" Jessica Stanley exclaimed and gave Bella a tight hug. It was the day Bella once again set foot in the studio, after a month-long work period in California.

"Thanks" said Bella sheepishly when they pulled away. "Um, is Papa Maxi here?"

Jessica nodded. "Yup. I saw him earlier. I think he's in his office"

"Thanks" then Bella walked towards the elevators.

…

"Bella, you're here!" Max Gerard grinned at her and walked forward. "How did the project go? I heard from Miss Denali you were wonderful."

Bella blushed. "She did?" she asked sheepishly. Up until now, she still felt ridiculous of thinking Tanya was Edward's girlfriend or something. She had to admit, though, that she felt relieved when she realized Tanya was Edward's _brother_'s girlfriend instead.

"She did" he smirked. "So, when is the first showing of the photos?"

"The photo-showing would be this Friday" Bella explained, instantly feeling giddy. "Will you come?"

"Of course I will" he guffawed. Then he turned serious all of a sudden. "By the way, I have some good news."

Bella looked blank, waiting.

"The president of the famous Volturi fashion line is asking specifically for you to endorse their new collection" he said.

Bella's jaw dropped. "No _way_"

Max guffawed once again. "So, will you think about it?" he asked. "You have to snag every opportunity Bella. This is a once-in-a-lifetime thing we're talking about."

"I will" Bella said. "This is just… too amazing"

"I cannot believe a product of Maxi Modeling Studios would be able to take part in an Italy-based project" Max grinned. "I'm proud of you."

This time, Bella choked. "I-Italy..?"

"The project will be in Italy" he said, furrowing his brows in confusion. He was wondering why Bella was not ecstatic about the idea anymore.

"If I accept, when will it start?"

"The company president told me that it would convene a month from now" he explained. "Is there something wrong with the arrangement?"

Bella shook her head without thinking. _Yes, there is. I have Edward as a boyfriend now and I might end up leaving him if I go to Italy_. "None" she said. She smiled at him. "I'll think about it, okay?"

He smiled. "Don't think too long now" he joked. She laughed—it was a tensed kind of laugh—then turned to go.

As soon as she was out of the building, she fished out her phone from her bag and dialed Alice's number.

Alice answered on the third ring. "Hello?" she said.

"Alice, I don't know what to do" Bella said right away.

"You're pregnant?!" Alice blurted out. Bella took her phone away from her ear and gawked at it as if it was Alice herself. She groaned.

She pressed it back to her ear. "No, I'm not" she snapped. "Stop with the stupid assumptions."

"Sorry" said Alice. "What's wrong?"

"Alice, the Volturi fashion line wants me to endorse their new collection" Bella mumbled.

Alice squealed from the other line, forcing Bella to take her phone away from her ear once again. When she pressed it back to her ear, her best friend said, "Ohmigod that is so awesome! Yey for you..!"

"There's a problem" Bella blurted, silencing Alice. "I'm ecstatic and all, but…"

"Edward" Alice said matter-of-factly. "You're dating Edward now, aren't you?"

"Not really" Bella winced. How did her best friend know things when she wasn't even around to witness them?

"Since when?" Alice pressed.

"End of the month"

"It took you that long?" her best friend was genuinely flabbergasted. Bella couldn't see the point of her surprised tone.

"Alice, focus on my Volturi issue" Bella groaned.

"Bella, this _is_ the Volturi issue" Oh, she was good. "Admit it that the reason you're so confused is because you're afraid you won't see Edward for a long time if you accept the endorsement."

Bella was silent. Was it for that reason? Probably

Okay, it was.

"What do I do then?" she asked, not daring to admit _verbally_ that her best friend was right.

"You tell him about it" Alice said simply. "I'm sure he'll let you get it."

"Thanks" Bella mumbled. "Talk to you later"

"Kay" Alice said then hung up.

0*0*0

_Emerald Green Condominiums_

Bella paid the cab driver and stepped out of the car. She entered the large building, greeted the doorman and then walked towards the elevators, where she was greeted with a couple of her neighbors.

She stepped inside one of the elevators and waited for it to take her to her designated level. The elevator let out a small _ping_ and then its doors opened. Bella stepped out then walked towards her…

She stopped dead on her tracks when she saw Edward standing in front of her apartment. He was apparently waiting for someone… for her, perhaps?

She felt her stomach lurch. She cleared her throat as loud as she could so that Edward would notice she was there. It worked and he instantly turned his head. He grinned his irresistible crooked grin then walked towards her. "Hey" he said, sounding pretty normal.

Bella half-smiled then unconsciously played with the hem of her metallic gray blouse. "Um, why are you here?" she asked nervously.

He arched a brow. Bella mentally gulped. He was onto her, and she knew it. "What, can't a guy visit his girlfriend?" he teased.

Bella blushed at the word 'girlfriend' and she felt more rotten. "We need to talk" she blurted. Her words made his expression change from amusement to confusion.

"What is it?" he asked, taking her hand softly in his. Bella instantly felt totally icky. She saw the hurt flash in his eyes again.

She didn't want to answer. Instead, she pressed her lips to his. But Edward pulled back a second later. "Bella, what's wrong? You're avoiding the question."

Bella bit her lip then looked down. She was ashamed of how she avoided saying it.

He sighed. "So Max told you" he said, making Bella jerk her head up. She stared at him in wide eyes.

"w-what..?" she stammered.

"I know about the Volturi thing" he said simply, shrugging it off.

"How?"

"I heard Tanya and my brother talk about you a while back" he admitted. "Trust me; I didn't like what I heard."

"They were?"

He nodded. "Truthfully, I thought that was the reason you ignored me during the trip to the airport" he said. "I thought you knew about it and you were thinking of breaking it off between us" he shrugged again, "well, not that we even started yet."

Bella smirked. "But you just called me your girlfriend earlier" she pointed out smugly.

He scowled then squeezed her hand. "Well, before the airplane thing, we weren't anything yet remember?"

The smugness disappeared instantly.

He looked at her wordlessly, waiting for her to say something. She didn't utter a word. He sighed. "So, I suppose you're taking it..?"

Bella bit her lip. "Do you want me to?" she asked timidly.

"It's your choice" he said. "And I don't think you won't be away for a long time"

"You think so?" she asked, unsure. He shrugged. Okay, totally doesn't help.

"At least I think so" he admitted, grinning. She scowled. He laughed then kissed her softly on the lips.

Then someone cleared their throat a few feet away.

"Edward Cullen, why are _you_ here?" a voice said. Edward and Bella turned around.

0*0*0

**This is a preview of the next chapter:**

_Bella looked lost and out-of-place. Her eyes helplessly shifted between the two. It was like she didn't belong in there. She was the present and they were the past._

**Not all stories end with people ending up together. There should be many obstacles so it would be interesting. Ha-ha.**

**READ and REVIEW**

**Since you all helped me achieve 180+ reviews, how about more than 200?**

**That would be awesome!**

**Oh. And, do you guys mind checking my other stories? They aren't done yet, but I would appreciate it if you tried to read them. =]**


	16. Sadly, Another Competition

**Man, this was supposed to be up earlier. But the file had an error or something. Well, here it is. =]**

**And also, i would like to clarify that xxhollister6 did NOT steal my story. I did not say such a thing, too. =/**

15.

"Edward Cullen, why are _you_ here?" a voice said. Edward and Bella turned around. A woman, who looked their age, was standing from a fair distance—her jaw dropped and eyes narrowed. She had long black hair curled into ringlets, her eyes electric blue. She was wearing designer jeans, ankle-boots, and a leather jacket over her black Guns and Roses T-shirt. She looked like a punk and a corporal person at the same time.

Bella distanced herself from Edward and looked at him slyly. Who was this person in front of them?

Edward stiffened then wrapped an arm around her. "I came to visit Bella" he explained.

The woman then turned to look at Bella. Her narrowed eyes turned into slits. "Bella Swan? You're dating another supermodel?" she accused. Then she flew her arms in the air, an exasperated motion. "God, Edward! Don't you ever quit?"

Edward let out a laugh. "I'm not a quitter, if that's what you're implying" he joked.

The woman smirked back. There was a glint of something in the woman's eyes that Bella was afraid to look into. She was afraid that the woman had a thing for Edward—and they had history. "Well, I guess it's going to be supermodel-this, supermodel-that with you" she said.

Edward looked down at Bella, who looked away. He stiffened. There they go again. Bella was afraid to admit that she felt insecure of the woman. The woman must've been Edward's long-time friend since she knew about his dating history with supermodels. This thought made Bella's stomach lurch. So there were other women before her and Monique? It was likely so.

"Now that you're here, can we do something together like old times?" the woman asked perkily, ignoring the now-awkward atmosphere between Edward and Bella. "I've been dying to go to Arlene Grocery again. Maybe we could go with Emmett!"

"That's a great idea" Edward said, loosening his grip on Bella. He slowly looked down at her again. Bella knew he wished she wouldn't turn her head away again. So she didn't and looked back at his amazing green eyes. "You want to come, too?"

"Um," she stammered. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw the woman looking at her with annoyance. She didn't want her to come. "No thanks. I'm a little tired."

Edward's face fell. "Oh" he said. Then he turned to the woman. "Well, then I guess I'm not going either."

Bella's eyes widened. "No. You should go and have fun" she blurted, making the woman and Edward look at her. Edward's expression was unreadable; the woman's was purely ecstatic. "I don't want to get in the way of your bonding time."

"Your _girlfriend_'s right, Edward" the woman said… although the way she said 'girlfriend' sounded like she hated the word. "So you in?"

He let out a sigh. "I guess so" he said. The woman grinned.

"Well, see you at the Arlene Grocery!" she exclaimed before turning away. As soon as she disappeared from view, Bella turned around to her apartment then opened the door.

She stepped inside—and Edward followed. The moment she closed the door, Edward imprisoned her with his arms, her back pressed to the door. Her eyes were wide and surprised.

"What do you think you're doing?" he questioned. Bella pressed her arms on his well-chiseled chest and sighed.

"Like I said, you need the bonding time" she explained. "You just got back from California and I just wanted you to loosen up—"

"Without you" he added, his tone annoyed.

She shrugged. "It's not an arrangement where a girlfriend can just barge in now, is it?" she retorted.

"Well, I prefer you to go" he said. Then he sighed and pressed his forehead to hers. "What's going on with you? You've been acting weird around me. I thought we had this cleared up?"

"The woman" she started.

"You mean, Jane?" he asked.

She nodded. "Yes, Jane" she said. "She likes you—a lot. And she doesn't want me in the way."

Edward scowled. "So you want Jane to pursue me?" he questioned.

She shrugged. "She misses you" she said softly. "I meant what I said about your need to bond with your friends."

"Bella, I've known all along she liked me in that way" Edward said. "So you don't have to worry about her plans." Then he kissed her for reassurance.

Bella let out a sigh when they pulled back. "I know" she mumbled. He grinned then kissed her again.

Their kiss was slow, gentle. Edward slowly put both his hands on the sides of her face and kissed her more urgently. Bella found herself wounding her arms around his built frame. The French kissing began. Edward reached for Bella's thigh then hitched her leg up to his waist and pressed her more firmly on the door. They both groaned.

A few moments later, they pulled back. Their breathing was jagged now, their lips tingling. Bella felt like her lips were bruised too much, but she liked the way the kiss made her feel nonetheless.

"I noticed something" he said airily. He was still breathing hard. "We're kiss devils."

Bella let out a laugh then brought his face near to hers again. "I noticed, too" she joked. Then she teased him by inching her lips towards his, but not really putting on physical contact. They stayed like that for a few seconds before Edward groaned then pressed his lips to hers once again. A smile played on Bella's lips against his.

…

Bella was lying on her stomach on her bed, lazily scanning a few magazines. Her iPod was positioned on her desk, cranked up in her iPod Dock. The song being played was Belle of the Boulevard by Dashboard Confessional.

After the song ended, Bella's phone rang beside her. Without looking at the caller ID, she clicked ANSWER and pressed it to her ear. "Hello?"

"Hey," Edward's voice sounded from the other line. "What are you doing?"

"I'm just hanging in my room" she said, flipping a page of the magazine.

"See, you could've just went with me here in Arlene Grocery" he said, sounding 'I told you so'. "Jane and Emmett are busy joking around, leaving me completely bored."

"Maybe you could've just stayed with me then" she joked. "I'm kidding. Boredom aside, it's still bonding time."

"Yeah, yeah, yeah" Edward drawled. "But do you want me to come over to keep you company?"

"No thanks" Bella's tone was apologetic. She was hoping he wouldn't take it in the wrong way like she was pushing him away. "Be as late as you want there."

"Okay" he sounded like he took it in the wrong way. Damn.

"But you can come tomorrow" she said.

He laughed. "Sure thing, Bella" he said.

She laughed back then they both said their goodbyes and hung up. She couldn't wait for tomorrow already.

0*0*0

**This is a preview of the next chapter:**

_Bella looked surprised at the text she had gotten—from _her_. What did she want? And how did she get her number?_

_We need to talk._

—_Jane_

**Wow. Another update! Yey me! Ha-ha**

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	17. The Meadow

16.

Bella lazily nibbled on a potato chip, her eyes dully looking at the plasma screen showing a morning comedy show. It was only eight in the morning, and she was already attacking the junk food in her pantry. She couldn't help it since she was downright bored. Edward promised that they would spend time together later. But Bella wondered when 'later' was going to arrive.

_I so wish Alice is here_, she thought. Her best friend was arriving four days later, which wasn't fast enough. She needed someone to talk to… or even eat Haagen Dazs Ice cream with.

Then her phone rang on the coffee table in front of her. She grabbed it and saw that it was from Edward. She grinned and eagerly opened the text message.

_From: Edward_

_To: Bella_

_How about that promised date? —Edward_

Bella immediately typed a reply.

_From: Bella_

_To: Edward_

_Sounds good —Bella_

He also didn't waste time on answering back.

_From: Edward_

_To: Bella_

_I'll pick you up in twenty_

Bella grinned then dashed towards her bathroom. She took a quick shower then slipped on her most casual of clothes: a white-and-yellow-striped hooded shirt, acid-washed jeans, and a pair of yellow Converse sneakers. She pulled her damp brown hair into a ponytail, dabbed a bit of gloss on her lips, and she was ready to go.

And it only took her—fifteen minutes.

Five minutes later, someone knocked on her door. Bella hastily stuffed her wallet into her small black backpack then scampered towards the door. She looked through the peephole to make sure it was Edward. And when she saw him—in all his godlike goodness—she opened the door and grinned like a teenager going to her first prom. Well, not that she liked prom. She completely hated those kinds of soirees and she was grateful she had lived through that.

"Hey," said Edward. He grinned back at her then stepped inside the apartment. Bella noticed that he went for casual, too. He was wearing a navy polo over his white shirt, jeans, and navy moccasins.

"You don't know how grateful I am that you asked me out today," Bella laughed. "I'm so bored."

He turned around then wrapped his arms around her waist. Gently, he pressed his lips to hers. Their mouths molded perfectly together, and it went on for a few moments before they pulled apart.

"So," Bella grinned. "Where are we going?"

He grinned then slowly entwined his fingers with hers. "It's a surprise," he drawled mysteriously.

Bella's smile faltered at the S word.

He chuckled. "Let me guess" he said amusedly. "You don't like surprises"

She nodded then pursed her lips.

"Don't worry" he cooed in her ear. "It's a good surprise." then he dragged her out the apartment.

0*0*0

_A few minutes later—somewhere_

Bella's mouth slowly dropped as she surveyed the surroundings. There was nothing but trees, trees, trees, and _more_ trees.

"Don't worry" Edward chuckled beside her. She could hear him unbuckling his seatbelt with a _clack_. "This isn't where I'm taking you."

Bella nodded then wordlessly stepped out of Edward's silver Volvo. Her sneakers made crunchy noises as she walked around, the ground surrounded my dead leaves. And so did Edward's moccasins.

"c'mon" she felt his hand land on the small of her back—quite gently—as he ushered her to move. She did and found herself—and Edward—walking into the deep of the woods. Where was he taking her?

Her question was soon answered when they stopped in front of a vast meadow filled with colorful flowers. The place completely smelled like nectar and nature. She could hear birds chirping above her, and she felt like she was in some kind of paradise.

"Do you like it?" Edward's ticklish breath broke through her reverie and she couldn't do anything but grin at him. It was beyond what she expected. Her mind was too low on imagination that the first thing that popped into her mind was Grand Central Park. She felt silly thinking that someone as extraordinary as Edward could take her to a bland place such as a park.

"It's… awesome" she breathed as she made her way through the thick beds of flowers. She turned around then blushed when she saw Edward staring at her with an amused face. "What?"

He shook his head then walked towards her. "I was worried you wouldn't like it" he mumbled in her hair as he hugged her.

"Who wouldn't like it?" she giggled. "This place is so beautiful!"

"I found this place accidentally" he said suddenly. "You're the first person I brought here."

Bella blushed at what he said. "So you were in New York before modeling?" she asked.

"I'm _from_ New York" he clarified. "Since I was four, I think"

"So you moved back here" she said, not meaning it as a question.

"I missed the hustle and bustle" he kidded. "So after a few major projects out of NYC, I moved back here to revisit my childhood."

Bella smiled silently then let herself drown in Edward's scent.

0*0*0

_Emerald Green Condominiums; 1:32 pm_

Bella kissed Edward goodbye when they arrived in front of her apartment door. When they pulled apart, Edward told her he'd call later. Then he turned away.

Bella sighed contentedly then stepped inside her apartment. She was about to grab a can of Coke in the fridge when her phone rang inside her bag. She fished it out then gasped.

Bella looked surprised at the text she had gotten—from _her_. What did she want? And how did she get her number?

_From: 09-xx-xx-xx-xx-x_

_To: Bella_

_We need to talk._

—_Jane_

Before she could reply, another text appeared.

_From: 09-xx-xx-xx-xx-x_

_To: Bella_

_Meet me in Central Park_

Bella sighed then trudged out her apartment. She didn't even bother grabbing her bag from the kitchen counter.

She also didn't bother with hailing a cab. Her apartment was only a five-minute walk away from the park anyway.

…

Bella looked around the big park, keeping an eye out for a black-haired woman. When she spotted Jane sitting on one of the benches—holding a professional camera—she slowly approached her.

"Um, hey" she said hesitantly. Jane looked up then nodded curtly. She was poker-faced.

"I'm glad you could come" Jane said blankly. Bella knew—from the start—that the woman was sour towards her.

"So, what's with the invitation?" Bella asked as she reluctantly took a seat on the bench beside Jane. She found herself nervously knotting her fingers together.

"I wanted to show you these" Jane thrust the camera towards her. Bella looked down at the currently displayed photo and gasped when she noticed it was a younger Edward Cullen. It seemed as though, in the picture, that Edward was unaware of the photographer because he was laughing at something far away.

"Who took these?" Bella found herself asking as she held the camera by her two hands. She scanned through other photos. As expected, all of them were off a younger Edward in different stills.

"Me," Jane said. "I'm a photographer."

Bella cleared her throat. She wasn't sure why she felt so uneasy. There was just something about Jane that intimidated her.

"I was the one who unfortunately sent those exact photos to a modeling agency" she explained. Bella's stomach lurched at the word 'unfortunately'.

"When they realized he had potential, they immediately whisked him away into Supermodel Land" Jane continued rather bitterly. "He soon dated supermodels, making me look like chopped liver.

"Emmett managed to spend time with him—but not with me. He was too busy with his career that I _regretfully_ created for him" it was obvious Jane liked Edward—a lot—and she wanted him for herself. Bella was already aware from the start. But she felt gooey at the thought of Edward dating other girls before her.

So the rumors of him being a player were true. This didn't make Bella feel better at all.

"So the reason I asked you to meet me here is that," Jane paused for dramatic effect. Bella bit her lip, waiting. "I want you to break up with him."

Whoa. Stop everything… PLEASE!

Bella's head jerked in Jane's direction. "w-what did you say..?" she stammered.

"You heard me" Jane spat. "_Break up with him_. You and I both know he'll kick you to the curb once he feels completely tired of you."

Bella felt hot tears stinging her eyes. But her eyes didn't feel wet—and her vision was still twenty-twenty.

Jane then fished a magazine out of her hobo bag and put it on the space between them on the bench. She smirked then turned away, but not without saying, "savor the article, darling. You're going to have to have something to remind you of _him_ with _you_."

Bella looked down at the magazine where the cover was of her and Edward in one of the shootings in California. She didn't notice the paparazzi there… and now she knew they hounded her. What made her more vulnerable was the caption:

ANOTHER HOOK-UP OR FINALLY THE REAL THING..?

Bella groaned. And here she thought a supermodel's life was paparazzi-free. She thought wrong.

0*0*0

**Here is a preview of the next chapter:**

"_What happened to you and him?" Zoe whispered, glancing at Edward across the room. Bella's stomach lurched. It made her feel crappier when she could sense that he didn't want to look at her—but she couldn't blame him. She was the one who was always hot and cold towards him after all. He probably regretted showing her his meadow now... thinking he wasted it on some weird girl._

"_Something completely stupid" Bella mumbled, downing her red wine in one gulp. "And that was only on my part."_

**Okay. The next chapter will be about before and during the photo exhibit… which explains why Zoe is back in the story, along with the models who participated in the California project.**

**READ and REVIEW**

**P.S. I don't know when I'll end this story, but I am positive I'm not ending it soon… I think.**

**P.P.S. do you think this story has a chance of having a sequel? Well, **_**you**_** tell **_**me**_**.**


	18. Photo Exhibit

17.

Bella was lying on her back on her bed, a ratty old book in hand. The magazine Jane gave her was tossed in one side of her room, forgotten at the moment. She didn't want Jane to get to her… even if it was obvious she was already affected.

Damn.

Why was she so gullible? Why did Jane's words affect her view of Edward's personality so much? Did she believe it?

She wasn't sure.

_Break up with him_… Jane's words ran through her mind like a broken record player. She wanted it to stop. But it was like someone wanted her to suffer.

**Ring!**

Her phone rang beside her and she felt for it on the bed. When she grasped the shape of it, she pressed the ANSWER button and pressed the phone to her ear. "Hello?" she said groggily.

"What's wrong?" Edward's smooth, baritone voice enveloped her ear drums, dripping with worry. He noticed her uneasiness through her voice. She gulped and began thinking frantically of an excuse.

"n-nothing" she stammered. "I just… fell asleep."

"Are you sure?" he knew something was up. It sort of surprised her since she only knew him as a cocky guy. She didn't expect him to be so… _for her_

"I'm alright" she said, adding a faint laugh to make it sound true. "I'm glad you called."

It was his turn to laugh—only, his was genuine. "I take it you're bored?" he joked.

"Not really. Actually, I'm trying to read an old book I read when I was in college."

"Trying?"

She laughed. "Yeah. I'm _trying_ to. The letters are faded so it's hard to decipher the words."

"Well, good luck with that" he chuckled. From his end of the line, Bella heard a door slam. Then a booming voice erupted.

"_Yo, Eddie boy! Aren't you forgetting something?_"

Bella's brows furrowed at the unfamiliar voice. "Who was that?" she asked.

"Oh," Edward said nonchalantly. "That was just Emmett, an old friend of mine."

"What was he talking about?"

"We're supposed to drive to the airport" he paused. "Right now. We're picking up friends of ours."

"I guess I better say goodbye then" Bella said.

Edward sighed. "I'll call you later, okay?"

Bella mhm-d

"Bye" he said then hung up.

Bella sighed then put down her phone on her bedside table. Then she found herself glancing at the magazine with her and Edward's picture. She sighed once again and buried her face under her pillow.

0*0*0

_New York streets; noon the next day_

Bella was sipping her Starbucks mocha frappe when a girl approached her shyly.

"Um, you're Bella Swan, right?" the girl asked straightforwardly. She was shifting quite manically. It was obvious she was nervous.

"Yes I am" Bella smiled.

Then the girl took out a copy of Bella's photo book. "Would you mind if, um, you autographed this for me? I'm a fan."

Bella blushed. "Sure" she said, taking the girl's Sharpie and scribbling down her name on the glossy cover of the photo book. "Here you go."

The girl grinned. "Thank you" she said. Then she walked away.

Bella started to continue walking, when a group of guys—they looked like fifteen-year-olds—blocked her path. "Sign ours, too" they grinned sheepishly. "We think you're totally hot."

Bella laughed then obliged. She was deeply surprised with the sudden attention—but she didn't show it since she was supposed to act all professional.

Sure, the fans were great.

But the paparazzi were not great. Camera-flashes surrounded her after the boys walked away. She immediately pulled down her Ray-Bans to her eyes then tried her best not to get intimidated with the unruly crowd of photographers. It was rather hard since they fired questions at her at the same time. Nonetheless, she tried to answer them as vaguely as possible.

"_Miss Bella Swan, how does it feel to be finally on the upscale modeling radar?_"

Bella smiled then said, "It's flattering"

"_How did you manage to land a big project such as the one sponsored by Tanya Denali's company?_"

"Luck and perseverance"

"_Is it true that you and Edward Cullen are a 'thing' now_?"

"We're closer, that's for sure" she didn't mean to 'deny' their relationship. But she didn't want them terrorizing about the topic.

"_What was your reaction when you saw the gossip magazine's take on your relationship with the famous supermodel?_"

"I haven't seen it yet" she lied.

"_Bella, people want to know: Gucci or Louis Vuitton?_"

She laughed at that. "Both," she grinned then walked faster until a cab pulled up to her. She stepped inside and told him to take her to Emerald Green Condominiums.

0*0*0

_Bella's apartment_

After changing into a big white shirt and red boxers, Bella made her way to the kitchen to grab a bag of Doritos in the pantry. Just as she was about to open it, her phone vibrated in her pocket.

_From: Edward_

_To: Bella_

_Coming over now_

She grinned then happily opened her chips. Well, what better way to forget Jane than have Edward around, right?

A few minutes later, someone knocked on the door. Bella waltzed towards it then opened it to reveal a grinning Edward.

He looked at her clothes and she blushed. "Nice" he teased then closed the door behind him.

"I'm still normal" she grinned. "I don't need to dress up. I'm just at home anyway."

He chuckled. "It's cool" he said. "I'm fine with that."

She laughed back. "Good" she smirked then kissed him chastely on the lips.

"Photo exhibit is tomorrow" he pointed out when they pulled apart, his arms circling her waist. "Sounds like a date?"

"Of course" she rolled her eyes then walked out of his arms. He chuckled then walked in the living room. Bella followed him.

She gasped when she noticed that Edward grabbed the magazine Jane gave her. His brows furrowed for a moment before his mouth twitched into an amused grin. "The things gossipers make up"

"Jane gave it to me yesterday" Bella blurted out idiotically. This managed to return the furrow of Edward's brows. He turned to look at her.

"She did?"

"She told me she was the one who started your career"

He nodded. He didn't find anything angering about that.

Bella bit her lip. "And your dating history with supermodels" she mumbled.

Hurt flashed in his face. "You believed that?" he questioned. When Bella didn't answer, he groaned. "You did, didn't you?"

"Um" she started but Edward cut her off.

"It's true that I dated a handful of models before you" he admitted. "But you bringing it up _now_… just hurts."

"Edward" she mumbled. "I…"

His eyes narrowed slightly, his brows still in a furrowed mess. "You don't trust me, do you?"

"I do" Bella stated. "I'm just… feeling uneasy"

"It irritates me that, after explaining many times, you still have doubts" he said. "You're so hot and cold towards me, Bella. And it's driving me mad."

"Well I'm sorry for having trust issues" she snapped. [A/N: gonna explain that soon]

He shook his head. "Obviously we're always ending up in a quarrel" he muttered. He prepared to turn away.

"This isn't working out" she mumbled. He stopped midstride then faced her again.

"What are you…?"

"Maybe… maybe this was a mistake" Bella's voice cracked. He pursed his lips and said nothing. His features softened. He was calming down.

"Maybe" he agreed, then he turned away… slamming the door shut behind him. Bella collapsed, her eyes widening in surprise.

What. The. Heck. Just. Happened?!

Did they break up—already?

She groaned.

_It was all because of that stupid magazine and my big, pathetic mouth_, she screamed in her head.

She was deeply shocked that, after they kissed, the world came crumbling down.

0*0*0

Bella, in the end, came to the photo exhibit with Chris. After her fight with Edward, she called her friend to accompany her. She didn't want to look so emo in front of the other supermodels. She couldn't care less if they would notice that Edward was not beside her. They were aware in California that something was up between the two. They weren't aware that that 'something' evaporated yesterday… yet.

"Bella! Chris!" a familiar voice said from behind. Bella and Chris were by the wine table, sipping alcoholic drinks and talking about random things. Bella didn't dare bring up the Edward topic with him. She kept mum with that.

They turned around to see Zoe approaching them in a dark violet tube-top dress and black heels. Chris leaned closer to Bella to whisper, "I'm going over there." then he walked away, but not without greeting Zoe.

"You're here" Bella grinned faintly as Zoe hugged her.

"Of course" said Zoe, flipping her red hair. "I'm dying to know how I look in the photos."

Bella laughed then took a sip of her red wine. Inconspicuously, she looked around for Edward. Unfortunately, Zoe noticed the uneasiness.

"What happened to you and him?" Zoe whispered, glancing at Edward across the room. Bella's stomach lurched. It made her feel crappier when she could sense that he didn't want to look at her—but she couldn't blame him. She was the one who was always hot and cold towards him after all. He probably regretted showing her his meadow now... thinking he wasted it on some weird girl.

"Something completely stupid" Bella mumbled, downing her red wine in one gulp. "And that was only on my part."

"Well, fix it" Zoe said, shrugging. "Apologize." Bella forgot how straightforward Zoe was. It was definitely something to hear someone say it so matter-of-factly.

"I'm not so sure that's all it takes" Bella said. "I've been hurting him quite often."

"If you mean it, it's all it takes" Zoe said wisely. She smirked. "Learn from me"

Bella laughed. "What made you so mature?"

Zoe laughed back then raised her glass lazily. "Louise is what happened"

"You guys hooked up after?"

Zoe nodded then took a sip of her wine. "Something like that."

"I thought you were eyeing Johann Crest?" Bella found it hard not to forget the Chace Crawford lookalike of a photographer. He was really nice towards her during her first shooting.

Zoe dismissed her lazily. "Nah, not really" she said. "Besides, I don't know him that well."

"True" said Bella. Suddenly, an arm snaked around her waist. She turned her head then looked up to see Chris grinning.

"c'mon, Bells" he said. "Your boss is looking for ya." Then he ushered her forward. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Edward looking at her.

"Where'd you go?" she asked.

Chris shrugged then pulled her closer to him. "My co-workers wanted to chat" he explained.

"Oh, so they're here" she said.

"mm-hmm" he mumbled. "They asked me if I was interested in taking another project… in Seattle this time."

Bella grabbed hold of his hand and squeezed. "You should get it, Chris" she said.

"No telling me twice" he chuckled. Bella chuckled with him.

Finally, they reached Max Gerard. Bella gave him a hug then grinned. "You're already here"

"Wouldn't want to be late" Max Gerard grinned. "This is a big step for the studio… and for you."

"I couldn't have done it without you" Bella smiled. "So thanks."

"You're welcome" he laughed. He then looked at Chris. "And who's this?"

"A college friend" she explained. "He was part of the crew for the project."

"Oh" Max guffawed. "I thought he was one of your suitors."

Bella pursed her lips. "Kind of" Chris admitted, laughing with him.

"Well, I'm not surprised" Max grinned. "Bella's quite a catch."

Bella blushed and fought the urge to hide in the bathroom.

"Speaking of suitors, why aren't you with Edward?" Max asked. "I read gossip magazines too, you know."

"He's… somewhere there" Bella mumbled. "I came with Chris… not with Edward."

"You two got into an argument?" he asked. Then he held out his hands. "Oops. I think I'm pressing in personal things now."

"It's okay" Bella said. "Actually, kind of."

"Well, I hope you two sort it out."

She hoped so, too.

She and Chris said goodbye to Max then walked back to the tables. Chris looked at her suspiciously. "You okay?" he asked.

"No," she admitted. "I feel like crap."

"Wine's getting to you?" he teased. Then he handed her a glass of water.

Bella mumbled her thanks then took a long sip. "Man, I'm really thankful you're here" she said.

He shrugged. "That's what good friends do" he said.

She pursed her lips. "I'm glad that what happened in California didn't affect our friendship" she muttered.

"It's fine" he chuckled. "I think you apologized enough back there."

"Is it?"

He was silent for a moment. "I meant what I said then" he said cryptically.

She nodded.

The music tuned down. Then Johann Crest came up on the platform in front. "Thank you for coming to this exhibit, I appreciate it" he said through the microphone. "I am looking forward to your feedback towards my photographs… and I hope the work exerted by the supermodels who participated will not be wasted."

Two women came to each ends of the stage, settling their hands in the sheet. They pulled it in unison. The audience took a collective gasp as the pictures were revealed. Bella felt her mouth drop at the sight of them. They were all fantastic, and they were arranged in collage form.

After a few moments, the audience clapped in appreciation. Bella felt Chris pull her into a one-arm hug. "You did great" he whispered.

"Thanks" she said. Then she found herself staring in the eyes of Edward. She gulped then broke free of Chris's hold. She approached him and smiled.

He smiled back. "We look good together" he joked. She blushed.

She put her hands on her face and groaned. "Crap, why am I so insecure?" she muttered. "I keep pushing you away… and it's annoying the heck out of me."

"Relax" he chuckled, putting his arms around her waist. "I should be the one feeling crappy."

"No, you shouldn't" she said, finally looking up at him. "I deserved you getting angry at me."

"No, you didn't"

"I did"

"No"

"Just let me admit it, will you?" she laughed, preparing to smack him in the arm. But her hand came up short since Edward grabbed her by the wrist. She pursed her lips then looked at him silently.

Slowly, he leaned down then placed a chaste kiss on her lips. When he was about to pull away, Bella grabbed him by his collar and kissed him again.

"It's an 'I'm sorry' kiss" she joked, finally pulling away. He grinned.

"Apology reluctantly accepted" he chuckled.

To heck with Jane and her threat

More importantly, to heck with insecurity

0*0*0

**This is a preview for the next chapter:**

_Bella gave her a tight hug. She missed her so much. "Whoa" her friend chuckled, hugging her back._

"_How did it go?" she asked when she pulled away._

"_It went fine" Alice grinned. Then she nudged her in the arm. "How about you? How's the love life? You barely gave me details on the phone this morning."_

_Bella blushed then fought the urge to squeal like a teenager. "It's awesome" she admitted._

"_Thank goodness" Alice grinned._

**Ah, finally!**

**Sorry if this took so long to upload. Well, I was back from camping and I have an incomplete fracture in my left index finger (curse you Tarzan Jump!). I couldn't type well for a few days but I'm a little better now. I forced myself just for you guys! Ha-ha.**

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**Oh, and sadly, I think this story's ending.**

**Mind if ask for 300 reviews? Ha-ha. Good luck. That's, like, 50 reviews to achieve. Uh-oh…**

**Ciao!**


	19. Accepted

**Aww…**

**Unfortunately, the reviews didn't reach 300. But that's okay. So here's the next chapter.**

18.

As the party tuned down, people went on chattering with each other. Edward and Bella were still by the wine table, enjoying each other's company. They didn't notice that many were looking at them weirdly. Were they possibly suspicious? Sure, the tabloids circulated… but they weren't sure it was the truth.

An unknown fact though was that it was. It was true. And Bella mentally grinned at her successful reconciliation with Edward.

"Do you want to look at the displays?" Edward asked as he took Bella's glass away from her and placed it on the table.

Bella winced a little then looked at him sheepishly. "Uh, I don't really look at myself" she said.

His eyes widened and a smirk played on his lips. "So you haven't seen magazines that have you on it?" he asked.

"I do—but rarely" she admitted. "I just involuntarily blush. It's just so embarrassing."

He laughed then placed his hand at the small of her back. He ushered her through the crowd until they reached the exhibit. The photos were framed with black, complimenting the redness of the outfits. Bella immediately blushed when she saw a photo of her and Edward looking like they were kissing. Another one was of them walking by the boardwalk, clad in matching red outfits.

"So," Edward started. "What's going on in the Italy front?"

Bella shrugged and kept her eyes on the pictures. "I haven't heard from anyone about it," she said. "Maybe… it's not going to be me."

"Hmm," he said. "This might sound selfish, but I'm going to be glad if you didn't go away."

She grinned. _So this is what it feels like to have a boyfriend who wants you by his side_, she thought. "You will?" she asked.

"Of course," he said and pulled her closer.

0*0*0

The next day, Alice called and told Bella she was arriving at twelve noon today. Bella was on her way to the Maxi Modeling Studios when she did.

"So, how are things?" Alice asked.

"Um, good," Bella said vaguely.

"Just good?" her friend asked, disappointed.

Bella was in a bit of a hurry so she said, "I better go," then hung up.

She met up with her boss in his office. She thought that this was probably going to be about the Volturi offer. She didn't want to say it, but she was kind of having second thoughts. She just got things ironed out with Edward and she wanted to spend time with him. But, on the other hand, this was a great opportunity to put her name out in the open.

"Bella, sit," Max Gerard gestured at a padded chair by his desk and Bella sat on it as told. He sat on his own chair and eyed her. "The Volturi Company contacted me this morning," he said straightforwardly. Bella kept a straight face. "They are in fact inviting you to model for them in Italy. Are you going to take it?"

Bella sighed.

"Bella, this is a once in a lifetime chance," he said. "It will only last for a few months."

Can she even survive _months_ without Edward? She just got him back!

Max realized what her hesitation was about, so he said, "Edward Cullen will still be here when you get back. Don't think too much about him for now. This is your future. You can't waste this chance because of him."

Bella's heart squeezed. She looked at her boss and smiled. "Don't worry. I _am_ going," she said. Max smiled.

"That's good to know," he said. "And remember that you're going there by next week. You need to get packing."

"Thank you," Bella said then turned away. She immediately got out her phone and dialed Edward's number. When a dial tone sounded, she sighed and gave up. He was probably doing a photo shoot anyway.

Jessica ambushed her—like usual—and she told her the news that she's definitely going. "That's awesome!" Jessica cried then hugged her. "You're going to do great."

"I hope so," Bella laughed. When they pulled apart, Jessica looked hesitant. "What is it?"

"What about your famous boyfriend?" she asked. "Did you tell him yet?"

"I told him before," Bella said. "But he still doesn't know about me accepting it. He's busy today."

"Well, good luck with that, too," Jessica joked then excused herself. Bella sighed then went to the studio where she was going to have a photo shoot of her own.

0*0*0

Bella was going to model with a guy named Eric Flutely. He was a new model with a promising future, according to Max. He had short black hair and grey eyes.

He was also lean and had a six-pack. She knew this because they were going to do a denim photo shoot. Without Alice, Bella was made up by another makeup artist.

Bella emerged from her dressing room clad in a tight tube top and a pair of skinny jeans. On her feet were black high heels. She went beside Eric—who was only wearing jeans—and wrapped her arms around his neck. He put one hand inside one of her back pockets and leaned closer.

The camera clicked away as they changed poses many times. After half an hour, they were done. Bella grabbed a cup of water from the snack table and was surprised when Eric appeared beside her.

"Hey, Bella," he grinned.

Bella smiled politely. "Hey" she said back.

"I just wanted to say thanks for putting up with an amateur like me," he chuckled as he ran his hand through his hair. "It was really fun."

"You were easy to work with," she replied, laughing. "Don't worry about it. And I had fun, too."

"By the way, I heard from Mister Gerard you scored a deal with the Volturi Company." he said, changing topic. "Congratulations."

"Thank you," she said. "And welcome to the industry."

After a few more moments of polite conversations, Bella told him goodbye. She had to pick up Alice at the airport so she went to her dressing room to change back into her casual clothes then zoomed out of the agency.

On her cab drive to the airport, she picked up her phone and called Alice that she was on her way.

"See you then," her best friend said then hung up.

…

"Thank you," Bella said as she gave money to the cabbie. She stepped out of the car and quickly put on her shades. She made her way to the Arrivals Section and waited for her best friend to emerge.

Moments later, Alice appeared with her luggages in tow. Although her face was obscured by big shades, Bella knew it was her because of the extraordinary spiky hair her best friend confidently paraded around.

Alice grinned when she caught sight of her then made way toward Bella, an arm (she had the other gripped with her luggage) outstretched—ready for a hug.

Bella gave her a tight hug. She missed her so much. "Whoa" her friend chuckled, hugging her back.

"How did it go?" she asked when she pulled away.

"It went fine" Alice grinned. Then she nudged her in the arm. "How about you..? How's the love life? You barely gave me details on the phone this morning."

Bella blushed then fought the urge to squeal like a teenager. "It's awesome" she admitted.

"Thank goodness" Alice grinned. Bella laughed then helped her with the luggages. When they we outside the airport, they hailed a cab home.

…

"God, it feels great to be home," Alice sighed dramatically after she emerged from the bathroom. She was fresh from the shower and she was only wearing a lime-green tank and floral beach shorts. Bella, on the other hand, was in a fire-engine-red racer-back and yoga pants.

"What do you want for lunch?" Bella asked. She was already looking at some takeout menus in their kitchen.

Alice thought for awhile before deciding that she wanted the usual: Chinese. Bella nodded then grabbed a menu of a Chinese restaurant. After deciding what to eat, she picked up the cordless phone and ordered their food.

"I almost forgot to ask," Alice said while they were waiting for their food. It was going to arrive in thirty minutes, according to the one who accommodated them on the phone. "What happened with your Volturi offer?"

Bella shrugged. "Max told me the Volturi Company gave me the 'go' signal," she said. "I'm leaving in a week."

"That's great!" Alice's expression immediately changed. "Oh, no, that's horrible!"

Bella looked at her. "Why? You don't want me to take it?" she wondered.

"It's not that," her best friend said. "It's just that you only have a few days to decide what clothes you're going to bring."

Of course, Bella thought sarcastically. Alice was such a fashion addict. "I think I can manage," she said.

"No, you can't. I don't trust you enough to bring fashionable clothing to ITALY, Bella—no offense. _So_, we are definitely going shopping tomorrow." Alice announced firmly.

"It's not necessary," Bella argued. Alice pointedly looked at her and she shifted in her seat. "Okay, fine. But we are not going to dry up my credit card, okay? I admit I need a few new things."

Alice grinned. "Great. It's a done deal, then."

Before Bella could remark, her phone vibrated beside her. She picked it up and realized it was Edward. Edward was calling her.

"Hello?" she said to her phone as she walked over to the balcony to have some privacy. She didn't want Alice to accidentally overhear anything—not that there's a problem between her and Edward. None at all.

"Hey, Bella," Edward said. Bella could hear people buzzing in the background. He was probably at a photo shoot right now.

"Hey," Bella giggled. "What's up?"

"I was just wondering if you wanted to meet up with me for dinner tonight," he said. Bella could feel he was smiling in the other line. Good. That made two of them.

"That'd be great," she bit her lip anxiously. She needed to tell him that she was leaving next week. "I need to talk to you anyway."

"What's wrong?" he asked. Wait. Did she sound really worried just then? Whatever.

"Nothing's wrong," she laughed. "I'll see you tonight."

"Okay," he said. "bye." Then he hung up. Bella stared at the phone for a moment before letting out a sigh.

0*0*0

**This is a preview of the next chapter:**

_She kissed him as passionately as she could. She really didn't want to leave—to be deprived of this majestic feeling. But, like her boss had said, she had to think of her career, too._

_She pulled away, her breathing going ragged. "Edward, I have to tell you something," she willed her self to say. He looked at her, waiting._

_She took a deep breath then began. "I'm leaving next week."_

**Sorry for leaving you with a cliffhanger for months. I didn't want to update and end up writing a bad chapter. Unfortunately, I had a bit of trouble trying to formulate the sequence of the story. So I'm glad I managed this.**


	20. Taking It In

**Hey, have you guys heard of 'Nightlight'? Ha-ha. You should check it out. It's a Twilight parody, by the way.**

19.

"Do not, I repeat, bite your lip," Alice said firmly as she handed Bella's Louis Vuitton clutch to her. "I worked hard to make your lips look more luscious than usual."

Bella rolled her eyes then grabbed the clutch from her best friend. Alice then disappeared into the living room. "I'll remember not to." she opened the door and there was Edward in a night blue button-down, black slacks, and shiny black shoes. His hair was in its usual disarray.

And as usual, Bella found it attractive.

"Hey," he grinned, his eyes scanning his gorgeously made-up girlfriend. "You ready to go?"

Bella absentmindedly smoothed out an imaginary crease in her body-hugging evening dress and grinned. "I am," she said, giggling at the end.

"Remember to bring her home, okay, Edward?" Alice shouted from somewhere in the living room. Bella blushed.

"I'm afraid I might be able to forget," Edward called back, teasing. Bella slapped him on the arm and he chuckled.

"Bye, Al!" she shouted then hurriedly ushered Edward to step out of the condo with her.

Edward chuckled at the gesture. "Eager to leave, aren't we?" he teased once they got out of there.

"Shut up," she grinned then entwined her fingers with his.

…

_Some French Restaurant in Fifth Avenue_

Bella laid down her fork then grabbed a napkin. She dabbed it to her lips. She didn't want to start talking with red pasta sauce on her face—especially when she was with Edward. "Thanks for taking me here," she smiled. Edward grinned back at her through his thick eyelashes.

"You're welcome," he teased. He then propped his elbows on the table and entwined his fingers together. "Anything for you."

Bella laughed. He was such a smooth-talker.

A moment later, Edward called a waiter to give him the bill.

"So, you said earlier you have something to tell me," he reminded her when the waiter walked away, making her smile falter a little bit.

She shook her head and grinned at him. "I'll tell you _after_ our date," she told him, wagging her index finger in front of his face.

He leaned back on his chair, his eyes wide in curiosity. "It must be important, then," he guessed. She nodded then took a sip of her white wine. She was glad he didn't pry her on the topic.

Bella shifted when she noticed he was staring at her intently, as if her announcement would show on her face if he did.

Fortunately, the waiter reemerged with the bill. Edward looked at it for a second before fishing out his wallet from his pocket. After placing a few hundred dollars with the bill, he stood up from his chair. Bella followed suit and they both went out of the restaurant.

"It's a beautiful night," Bella commented as she looked up at the towering buildings. "Too bad we can't see stars in New York. It would have made it better."

Edward nodded in agreement.

When they got to the car, he chivalrously assisted her in getting inside the passenger seat. After she strapped herself in, he went to the driver side and stepped inside. He turned on the engine and drove them out the lot.

"Where are we going?" Bella asked when she looked out the car window and realized they weren't returning to her condo just yet.

"I suddenly remembered that my best friend's girlfriend is having an art show," he said, his eyes on the road. "It would be a good opportunity for you to meet them, Bella."

Bella gulped. She was going to meet his friends?

Edward chuckled. "Don't worry. They're nice people. They won't eat you," he assured her.

"If you say so," she mumbled, making Edward chuckle once more.

A few minutes later, Edward and Bella stepped out of the car in front of an art gallery. Since the building had large windows next to the entrance, Bella could see that the place was crowded. There were different people inside, drinking champagne and nibbling on finger sandwiches.

Edward gave his car keys to the valet then wrapped an arm around Bella. They entered the place and were soon enveloped in loud chatter. Bella looked around and realized that most of the people here were buyers. She knew this because they were holding checkbooks and sign pens. Edward's best friend's girlfriend must be famous, she thought.

"Edward, I see you finally brought your ladylove," a booming voice teased behind them. The couple looked over their shoulders and saw a big man with curly dark hair and cute dimples. He was wearing a striped polo under a gray vest, black slacks, and pointed shoes.

Bella was amused to notice that he finished the outfit with a Fedora hat on his head. He looked like Ne-Yo.

"Emmett," Edward said calmly. "Aren't you supposed to be with Rosalie?" Rosalie must be the artist, Bella thought.

Emmett shrugged then inserted his hands inside his pockets. "She shooed me away," he chuckled, not the least bit perturbed by his statement. "She said I was distracting her."

Edward rolled his eyes. "Anyway," he said as he squeezed Bella's shoulder. "Emmett, this is Bella. Bella, Emmett."

Emmett stretched out a large hand and Bella politely shook it. "Nice to meet you," she said.

"I didn't think Edward would even have a chance to land you, Bella," Emmett grinned mischievously. "I'm still amazed to this day."

Bella blushed. Edward glared at his friend.

"Emmett, there you are!" a gorgeous woman with wavy blond hair cried as she grabbed Emmett by the elbow. "I've been looking…" she stopped midsentence when she realized who were in front of her and her boyfriend. "Oh. Hey Edward." Her gaze turned to Bella. "This must be..?"

"Bella," Edward stated. Bella smiled politely. "My girlfriend."

"Nice to meet you Bella," the woman smiled. "I'm Rosalie Hale. Welcome to my art exhibit, by the way."

_This_ was Rosalie Hale—the artist? Suddenly, Bella grew self-conscious. She was the model here, but Rosalie looked more beautiful than her—_way_ more beautiful. She even had a better figure!

"Thank you," Bella said. "Um, your artworks are really good."

"Thanks," Rosalie smirked. She tugged at Emmett and added, "If you two don't mind, Emmett and I are going to meet up with the rest of the buyers."

"No, it's fine," Bella answered.

"Are you okay?" Edward asked when Rosalie and Emmett disappeared from view.

Bella stepped out of his arms and shifted her weight from one foot to the other. "I didn't think she was like that," she mumbled, absentmindedly grabbing a flute of champagne from the nearest table. She took a sip and sighed.

"What do you mean?" he asked.

She looked up and met his green eyes. "She's beautiful," she breathed. "She should become a supermodel."

Edward smirked then leaned closer. He playfully tugged at a loose curl from Bella's hair. "Don't be threatened," he whispered. "You're prettier than Rosalie."

Embarrassed, Bella looked away from him and mumbled, "You're probably blind."

He chuckled then shook his head. "I'm not," he said. Then he sighed. "You don't see yourself clearly, you know."

She rolled her eyes then took another sip of her champagne.

Moments later, classical music danced from the speakers. She couldn't help but sway a bit in the melodious sound of…

"Claire de Lune," she said dreamily against the rim of her glass.

"You know Debussy?" Edward asked. She nodded then closed her eyes to savor the music. She just loved music like this. It was—soothing. It always made her relax and momentarily forget about the stress her career was bringing.

"Mmm," Bella mumbled when Edward pulled her close. He chuckled and let her nuzzle in his neck. "Edward Cullen, you clean up nicely."

"I get that a lot," he joked.

"I wish this night won't end," she sighed.

"Me too," he admitted.

…

Unfortunately, Alice had called to remind them that time still moved. Reluctantly, Edward drove Bella home.

But Bella knew that she shouldn't end this day without him knowing about Italy.

"Wait," she said, tugging at Edward's arm. He was then about to turn away before she did. He looked at her for a second before facing her again.

"What is it?" he asked. Then a sudden realization came to him. "Oh, you still haven't told me your news."

She nodded. "but before that…" she trailed as she pulled him closer to her—so close that she made him press her to the wall.

She kissed him as passionately as she could. She really didn't want to leave—to be deprived of this majestic feeling. But, like her boss had said, she had to think of her career, too.

She pulled away, her breathing going ragged. "Edward, I have to tell you something," she willed her self to say. He looked at her, waiting.

She took a deep breath then began. "I'm leaving next week."

Edward's mouth opened but nothing came out. Despite Alice's warning, Bella bit her lip anxiously.

"Why?" he finally managed to say.

"Remember my offer from the Volturi?" she reminded him. He looked at her blankly. "I accepted it. Edward, I'm going to Italy."

0*0*0

**Edward Cullen POV**

Her words rang in his ears. _She's going to Italy… Bella's going to Italy…_

It was stupid of him to hope that the Volturi would take back the offer. Bella was a tremendous model. They would be crazy not to hire her to endorse them. But, of course, his selfish side acted more than his reasonable one.

He didn't want her to leave. That was obvious. And it seemed that Bella knew it, too. She looked at him nervously, biting her lip as she did.

"I… understand," he managed to say. He knew she was going to hurt when he voiced out that he didn't want her to go to a foreign country—away from him. So he had to be brave—and professional.

Bella sighed in deep relief. "I knew you would," she smiled then kissed him once more on the lips. This kiss lingered more than usual. It was like she was showing her gratitude through it. Edward couldn't complain about that. He liked this 'thank you' better.

When they pulled away from each other, he grinned. "Well, see you tomorrow."

Bella's eyes widened, a smile erupting on her pretty face. "Tomorrow?" she asked. He shrugged.

"It depends," he joked. "Do you have modeling affairs tomorrow?" he asked.

"I only have one for Zara," she said, tilting her head to the side. "But that's in the morning. It will probably end by eleven—before lunch, maybe."

He nodded then ran a hand through his hair. "Cool. I have an appointment with Calvin Klein in the morning. It will also end before lunch." He grinned and pressed his forehead to hers. "I guess I'll see you for lunch, then."

She giggled then stepped away, her hand on the doorknob. She sheepishly waved at him then went inside the condo. When she disappeared inside, Edward sighed then sluggishly turned away.

…

_Edward's pad—thirty minutes later_

Edward stared up at the white ceiling, Bella's announcement running through his mind like a broken record player. He closed his eyes and reluctantly stood up from his stupor on the sofa. He dragged himself to his room and slid inside the covers on his bed.

He couldn't sleep. He just blankly stared at the blinking red numbers on his digital clock on the bedside table. Before he could forcedly close his eyes, his cell phone rang. He blindly grabbed it and pressed it to his ear.

"Hello?" he said groggily.

"Yo, Edward. You awake?" Cooper asked from the other line. Edward sighed then sat up. He pinched the bridge of his nose and groaned.

"Kind of," he admitted.

"What's up? You sound beat up," his friend commented. Before Edward could reply, he added, "oh. By the way, did you hear from Tanya?"

"What's with her?" Edward asked.

"She _did_ tell you she got Bella to be invited by the Volturi, right?" Cooper asked carefully.

Edward messed up his hair and sighed. "Yeah, I did," he mumbled. _Unfortunately_, he wanted to add but thought better of it. "So, what's your point?"

"Dude, you're not even bothered that your girlfriend's leaving next week?" Cooper was obviously flabbergasted.

"Cooper, I have to be fine with it," he reasoned. "Bella's happy about it. She just told me she's going earlier."

"Oh." But Cooper wanted to know. "But, are you _really_ fine with it? I mean, Bella's going to be away for a long, _long_ time."

"Cooper, you're not helping," he snapped. He pinched the bridge of his nose again and sighed in exasperation. "Anyway, of course I'm not. I'd be stupid not to be pissed at the arrangement."

"Well, you do have a medical degree," Cooper said in a joking tone. "So it's unlikely that you're stupid."

"Why are you calling?" Edward interjected.

"Tanya and your brother want to talk to you tomorrow in the afternoon," Cooper answered. "They said something about an offer."

"Fine," Edward mumbled then hung up. He fell back on his pillows and tried, once again, to sleep. And this time, he ignored Bella's words.

_I'm leaving next week._

_I'm leaving next week._

_I'm leaving…_

_Next week._

0*0*0

**This is a preview for the next chapter:**

_Bella put a smile on her face, using her eyes to convey her feelings to him. She gave him one last kiss on the lips and turned to go._

Italy you better be worth it_, she thought and entered the plane._

**ATTENTION: the next chapter would be the last one before I start the sequel. But I have to warn you guys: I'm leaving it as a cliffhanger. So be prepared. =)**

**IMPORTANT: I want to know. Will I post the sequel as a new story, or am I just going to upload it here? please tell me what you think.**


	21. Goodbye For Now

20.

"Thank you for the opportunity, Miss Swan," the Zara photographer enthusiastically shook hands with Bella after the shooting.

Bella blushed. "No. Thank _you_," she said humbly. She really didn't feel that great to be told that. She was still a supermodel in the making… or so she thinks. "I'm really glad you chose me to be your model today."

But the photographer ignored her shy demeanor. "With you grazing the stores and billboards, Zara sales will surely skyrocket!" she said knowingly.

Bella couldn't do anything else but laugh. It was weird getting flattered all of a sudden. And yet, it felt good.

When the photographer excused her self, Bella went to her dressing room and changed back into her casual clothes: a striped cardigan hoodie, dark denim shorts, and a pair of Converse sneakers. She stepped out of the room and thanked the crew and her co-models before leaving the studio.

She slipped on her big sunglasses and casually walked through the bustling New York streets.

She looked down at her Bulgari Tank watch every few minutes. It appeared that the shooting was finished earlier than expected.

This fact bummed Bella out because she told Edward that she was going to be done with work at eleven o'clock—and it was only ten on her watch.

To kill time, she decided to go home and freshen up—and maybe squeeze in more packing time. She already started on stuffing clothes in her suitcase last night, but she was, according to Alice, only halfway done.

Alice even told her that she shouldn't bring her old clothes. She told her that she should buy new outfits to make a good impression on the Volturi Company. Great.

…

When Bella got to her condo, she saw Alice lounging on the sofa. She approached her and went, "aren't you supposed to be, you know, at work?" after Alice's successful fashion event in California, she got accepted into a famous design company. So she wasn't Bella's makeup artist and outfitter anymore.

Alice lazily flipped a page of her Vogue magazine and looked up at her best friend with a smirk on her face. "And aren't _you_ supposed to be on a date with Edward?" she asked. Bella rolled her eyes.

"Production finished early," Bella explained as she made her way toward her room. "So I'm just going to tell Edward to pick me up here."

Bella took off her shoes and clothes and changed into something date-worthy. She slipped into a knee-length dress and hopped onto a pair of espadrilles. She let her hair down and dabbed a bit of lip gloss. She stopped midway when she noticed Alice eyeing her from the door.

"You really learned a lot from me," she joked. "I told you rooming with me will benefit you."

Bella grinned and rolled her eyes a second time. "Funny," she said sarcastically. Then she sat on the foot of her bed and grabbed her phone to text Edward.

_To: Edward_

_From: Bella_

_Work finished early. I'm at home._

A minute later, she got a reply. Bella smirked.

_To: Bella_

_From: Edward_

_Same here_

_I'm on my way._

After another smile erupted on her face, she looked up at Alice. "What?" she asked—suddenly alarmed at her best friend's expression: doubtful.

Alice shrugged and began carefully. "Bella, no offense, but, are you really okay with going to Italy?" she wondered.

"Alice, you were one of the people who happily accepted the idea," Bella pointed out. To stop Alice from getting the wrong idea, she shook her head and added, "and don't feel guilty or anything. I am doing this for myself as well."

"That's good," Alice said, accepting it. "Just make sure you don't get too into this, okay? I don't want you ruining your first true relationship over your career."

Bella smiled, a hint of doubt seeping into her. "I won't. Don't worry."

The silence was interrupted by a knock on the door. Bella stood up from her bed and went to the hallway.

Just outside her door was Edward. She smiled. "Hey," she said.

He grinned and leaned down to kiss her on the lips. "Hey," he said against her mouth.

When they pulled apart, Bella stepped out of the condo and shut the door behind her. She looked up at him. "So, where are we going?" she asked.

He scrunched his face in a contemplative expression—teasing. "Hmm," he murmured. "Actually, I was hoping to take you to my favorite restaurant."

She brightened up. "Really—where is that?" she asked as they made their way to the elevators. Edward pushed the 'down' button and they waited for one of the elevators to open.

He playfully pinched her cheek—like she was some five-year-old. She did a sour face and he chuckled. "It's a surprise," he said in a sexy drawl. She scowled at that. She hated surprises.

He pursed his lips, trying to hide a forming grin. "Wait. Don't tell me you hate surprises."

Bella nodded. "Yes, I do. So if you care about your face—which I'm sure you do—you'll tell me."

He chuckled at that—and the elevator opened at the same time. They stepped inside and they were enveloped in a comfortable silence. But the mute atmosphere was immediately broken when they started talking about nonsensical stuff.

And before they knew it, they were already on the ground floor. It was Edward who noticed this. He looked up at the ping sound of the elevator. He squeezed Bella's arm and said, "We're here."

…

_Central Park_

"Wow, I never saw this coming at all," Bella laughed as Edward handed her a wrapped Cheeseburger Deluxe. Edward chuckled and settled himself on the bench beside her, his Quarter Pounder in his hand. "I mean, who knew Edward Cullen loved McDonald's?"

Edward feigned hurt and said in mock indignation, "everybody loves McDonald's you know."

Bella shook her head and grinned up at him. She blushed and mentally squealed. Edward was looking at her, waiting for her to say something, while his lips were attached to his burger. He looked cute.

"Are you going to say something?" he said in amusement as he took notice of the fact that she was staring.

Bella blushed. "I'm completely incredulous right now," she admitted. "Are you saying you consume fatty foods all day and still look like that?" he shrugged, humble as always.

"I have a special kind of metabolism," he grinned as he took another bite. The fact that he could make eating a juicy, cholesterol-filled hamburger look completely seductive completely baffled Bella.

"God, you're so lucky," Bella giggled as she playfully hit his arm. Edward chuckled.

And then they started on more witty banters. This went on for quite awhile—and it ended when Edward got a message and remembered something.

"Ah, geez," he groaned, standing up. Bella stood up too and looked at him confusedly.

"What is it?" she asked. He looked at her apologetically.

"I have this thing with my brother and Tanya in ten minutes," he said. "I totally forgot about it."

Bella smirked. She knew what he was about to say. "its okay, Edward. I can totally take the train home or something." he scowled.

"No," he said sternly. "It wouldn't be gentlemanly of me. I'm taking you home. I don't care if I arrive to the meeting late."

Bella bit her lip. "Um, you sure?" she asked cautiously.

"Heck, I have to spend as much time with you as I can, right?" he smirked—but his smile didn't reach his eyes. Bella stiffened. Oh no.

Before she could control herself, she hugged him and nuzzled on his chest. After a second, Edward wrapped his arms around her. "I'm sorry," she mumbled against his shirt. "But I have to do this." She shook her head and rephrased. "No, I _want_ to do this. It sucks that I have to leave you, but…"

She felt Edward laugh—cutting her off. "I know," he said. "I understand."

…

_Bella's condo_

After an intimate goodbye with each other, Edward turned away and disappeared into the elevators. Bella sighed and went inside her condo. She decided to finish her packing. She didn't want to go crazy the night before her flight.

After stuffing one last shirt into her suitcase, Alice poked her head inside her bedroom door and asked, "Bella how was your date with Mister Wonderful?"

Bella rolled her eyes at Alice's choice of nickname for Edward. But nonetheless, she blushed like a total lovesick puppy. "We ate burgers is all," she said nonchalantly. _The best McDonald's takeout ever_.

"Burgers?" Alice was incredulous, of course. "No offense, but, aren't you two, like, _supermodels_?"

Bella shrugged. "Eating one burger doesn't make you gain too much weight, Alice."

Alice harrumphed. It was obvious she thought so. "So. Was your burger-run with Edward, like, fun?"

"It was," Bella smirked as she zipped up her suitcase. She looked at Alice pointedly over her shoulder and added, "Which just goes to show romance happens at any moment—at any situation—at any place." Alice's idea of romance was a candlelit dinner—which Bella thought happened rarely.

Alice shrugged and turned away. Bella felt proud of herself.

…

_The day before the flight_

When Bella got to Maxi Modeling Studio to say goodbye [and to get her tickets and stuff], she was automatically pulled into a bear hug by her boss, Max Gerard. She also got some love from her friends there.

"Oh my god, I can't believe you're leaving tomorrow!" Jessica said as she hugged Bella. Bella laughed and hugged her with the same fervor. "I'll miss you, Bells!"

"I'll miss you, too," Bella giggled. After Jessica, she was bombarded with the Erica and Valeria. Whoa. A Twin Hug

"We'll miss you, Bella!" they said in unison.

"I'll really miss you guys," Bella said, laughing. When they pulled apart, she waved her tickets in the air and grinned, "Well, I better get going."

She and Edward were going to have a date in a swanky restaurant in Fifth Avenue. She had to dress up nicely because, regrettably, it was going to be their last for a few months.

Erica nodded. Valeria grinned. They both knew about the date. "Oh. Have a nice date, Bella," Erica said good-naturedly.

Valeria arched her brows and wagged her finger at Bella knowingly. "Make it last," she said.

Bella let out another laugh and turned away, but not without telling them, "I will!"

…

_Bella's bedroom_

"Do I look okay?" Bella asked as she self-consciously ran a hand on her sky-blue summer dress. Alice rolled her eyes and finished fixing her friend's hair in a curly bun.

"You look gorgeous," she said, squirting some hair spray on Bella's 'do. Just then, there was a knock on the door. "Ooh. Supermodel-boyfriend's here."

Bella turned around, walked through the hall, and opened the door. She grinned when she saw Edward leaning casually on the doorframe, his eyes glistening through messy bronze hair. He was wearing a casual button-down, dark jeans, and comfy shoes.

Bella knew it was a good idea that she wore a simple dress this time. "Hey," she breathed, incredulous that she still thought Edward was simply breathtaking. On the contrary, he really _was _such an eye candy.

He leaned down and kissed her hungrily on the lips. Bella found herself wrapping her arms around his neck, and her fingers impulsively knotted themselves into his hair. It was so soft…

"Sorry. There has been a change of plans," he chuckled against her lips. Bella groaned, not really hearing him coherently, and kissed him harder. She didn't know where her fiery desire suddenly came from.

"Really?" she said—a smile on her lips against his. "Then where are we going?"

"How about a normal kind of bonding time?" he suggested as he finally pulled away. Bella laughed and blushed at the same time. Edward arched a brow. "What?" he said, rare self-consciousness spreading on his face.

Bella wiped something from the corners of his mouth and sheepishly said, "I got lip gloss on you. Sorry about that."

"Well, you wouldn't want me walking around with shimmery stuff on my face and practically scream out to the world we made out, right?" he said in a teasing tone. Bella rolled her eyes.

"Let's go before Alice discovers you wrecked my makeup," she said and he immediately obliged.

…

Edward's idea of casual bonding time, Bella realized, was a home cooked lunch and a movie. Bella sat on the sofa and furled her feet under her comfortably. She looked around and noticed that Edward had a thing for modern style.

The condo was merely white with a touch of black and red. She noticed that abstract art and framed photographs added color to the pearl-white walls. She smiled when she saw a frame photo of a baby on the coffee table in front of her. "Who's this?" she asked, mentally aww-ing at the chubby baby's face. He was so adorable.

Edward chuckled and placed two plates of beef stroganoff and sour cream on the said table. "That's me," he admitted as he inserted a DVD into the player. "It's obvious you love it."

"Still the same cocky dude, aren't you?" she teased. He laughed as he sat beside her on the sofa and turned on the TV. Bella grinned. "Wow. Two Weeks—I like this movie."

"I knew you do," he grinned. She rolled her eyes and leaned down to get her plate. She stabbed a beef strip with her fork and popped it into her mouth. Mmm…

"This is really delicious," she groaned as she took another bite, and with a bit of the sour cream now. "Is there anything you're bad at, Edward Cullen?"

"Not sure," he wagged his eyebrows at her in a comical way. She couldn't help but laugh.

As the movie played on the flat-screen, they continued eating lunch and occasionally sipping a bit of the wine Edward placed on the table a few minutes ago.

When the credits rolled, Edward and Bella stood up to clear the plates and glasses. After placing them on the sink, Bella leaned on the counter and smiled. "Thank you for this, Edward."

Edward carefully put down the plate he was washing and walked over to give Bella a chaste kiss on the lips. When they pulled apart, he said, "You're welcome."

Bella walked with him back to the sink and suggested, "Let me help with that."

"No, Bella. You're my guest and guests don't wash dishes," he denied her in mock-sternness. She pouted but a second later, she gave up. Edward had looked at her pointedly.

"Fine," she said and sat on a stool. After a moment, she asked him, "You're going to see me leave tomorrow, right?"

Edward stiffened but continued washing the plate a second later. "Of course I will."

Bella bit her lip. "Are you going to miss me..?" she asked awkwardly. She sounded so needy and desperate.

Edward looked at her over his shoulder and gave her this sarcastic 'are you kidding me?' kind of look. "Bella, I have to be stupid not to miss you."

She nodded and looked down. She traced the streaks on the marble counter top and said nothing. She only looked up when she heard the gushing of water stop. She saw Edward place one last plate onto the dish rack and swerve to dry his hands with a towel.

…

Bella didn't know how they got there on the sofa, passionately making out with each other. One second, Edward was cleaning up the place, and the next, they were there, practically attacking each other with their lips and hands.

Edward was on top of her, a hand gripping at her thigh, kissing her neck.

_Okay. It was a bad idea wearing a dress_, she thought. _I feel really weird_.

A groan escaped through Bella's mouth as Edward licked her bottom lip. She slightly opened her mouth and he inserted his tongue with fervor. Soon, their tongues fought for dominance.

_Alice is going to kill me when I get home. My hair and outfit are a total mess._

"I'm really going to miss this," she said hoarsely as Edward kissed her collarbone.

"Me, too, love," he replied huskily.

Then Bella's phone rang, ruining the moment. They both groaned. Bella turned her head so that she could see where her phone was and grabbed it to see who was calling. "It's Alice," she groaned in frustration. "She's probably having a hunch you're ruining her hard work."

Edward laughed. Bella put the phone down and let it ring. "Aren't you going to get it?" he asked with an arched brow.

Bella pointedly looked up at him. "What, and blatantly ruin this? No way," she said, making him laugh and kiss her again.

…

_The next day; the airport_

"Thank you for everything, Papa Maxi," Bella said as she hugged her boss one last time. When they pulled apart, she added, "I'm going to make you proud."

"I know you will," Max said in a way as if she was her daughter. Bella turned to Alice next.

"Bella, don't forget what I told you," Alice said in teasing, warning tone. The night before, Alice told Bella to bring back Italian clothing for her. Bella promised and she planned to buy them first thing.

"Don't worry," Bella rolled her eyes. "I will."

After another round of hugs and kisses, Bella ran toward Edward, who just arrived from a photo shoot, and hugged him tight. He made it.

"Thank god, I got here in time," he laughed. When they pulled apart, he casually took off his sunglasses—like Horatio from CSI Miami. Bella loved that show—and also CSI New York.

Bella looked over his shoulder and saw Chris, Cooper, and _Zoe_ (?). She grinned. "you guys are here, too?"

"I wouldn't miss it for the world, Bells," Chris laughed and hugged her.

"Zoe, how come you're here? Aren't you supposed to be in Seattle?" Bella asked as she walked over to her former roommate in California Springs.

"Oh. Didn't I tell you?" Zoe was grinning like a Cheshire Cat. "Mister Gerard offered me a job here in New York."

"That's awesome!" Bella said as she pulled her into another hug. She couldn't believe it. Everyone was here to see her leave.

"Hey, doesn't the boyfriend deserve the most attention from his departing girlfriend?" Edward said teasingly behind her. Bella turned around, rolled her eyes, and kissed him—right in front of everybody.

After a few moments of that, they hugged each other and Edward leaned down to whisper something to her ear. "I'll be waiting for you. I love you."

Bella hugged him tighter. "I love you, too," she whispered.

Then a female voice from the speakers announced Bella's flight.

Bella put a smile on her face, using her eyes to convey her feelings to him. She gave him one last kiss on the lips and turned to go.

_Italy you better be worth it_, she thought and prepared to enter the plane.

Her heart beat quickly inside her as she looked at her friends—and Edward—over her shoulder. She grinned and waved at them.

When she saw Edward grin and mentally told her 'I love you' with his emerald green eyes, she let out a laugh under her breath and continued her way toward the plane.

_Goodbye—for now_.

0*0*0

**FIN.**

0*0*0

**Yes! I've finally finished a story! Thank you for the wonderful support, guys. I really appreciated and took in everything you all said. So thank you!**

**And now, for the news you've all been waiting for: THE SEQUEL! I've decided to post it as a new story because one reviewer pointed out, and I knew from experience, that readers tend to get lazy reading a story with so many chapters.**

**I'm posting the sequel as "Model Love Affair, the Second Time Around."**

**And here's the news I know you're going to dread: I'm going to be real slow in updating because, even though it's still summer here, I can't lounge around. I have to study because college exams are just a few months away and I want to get into the top schools—EEP! So, fingers crossed!**

**And I know I haven't posting disclaimers so here: I DON'T OWN TWILIGHT. I JUST OWN ZOE, CHRIS, ERICA, VALERIA, JOHANN, MONIQUE, MAX, and the other names you didn't read from the spectacular saga which Stephenie Meyer owns.**


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